Ok, I've been wanting to post on this for a few weeks now but I wanted to wait till I had my fancy new MacBook to do it with. Now that time is upon us so here goes...

I guess blogs are all about letting people know about new and relatively underground music, so on these criterion, my post breaks both cardinal rules. I want to tell you about some guys that virtually everyone has heard about these days, 'Sonic Youth'.

Why Sonic Youth and why now? Well, I've never been a particularly massive SY fan, I was always irritated both by their Sacred Cow status and because I reckon that only around 25% of their output is worth listening to in the first place. I wasn't expecting to like their new record particularly. Don't get me wrong, I like 'Murray Street' a lot (although I found 'Sonic Nurse to be a bit dull), but I just wasn't that interested in this new one. But sometime recently I became intrigued by 'Rather Ripped', or rather intrigued by what I'd heard. Firstly, it irritated some Sonic Youth fans (a definite bonus) and secondly, it it had been hailed as a 'pop' record.

Is it a pop record? No. What it does showcase is the bands unquestionably remarkable gift for melody, which is sadly overlooked in favour of their less subtle and less interesting noisey tantrums. This makes it a far more interesting album for me. With no noise and no bullshit to hide behind, all that's left is creepy atmospherics ('Do You Believe in Rapture') and, well, pop ('Reena'). The track I've chosen, though, is 'Incinirate'; one of the singles. I really love this song not just because it has a really smart (and really simple) top line but because it reminds me of one of their best songs and one of my favourite songs ever; 'Schizophrenia'. So here's a link to download 'Incinerate' and a special youtube video I found on the SY myspace...

Sonic Youth - Incinerate:

http://download.yousendit.com/CD4018837C689AB3

A Suprise:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBeFL3qI-n8

My festive spins

here's a list of what i'm bumping to at the moment which might be worth checking out even if it's not ur cuppa tea there's bound to be at least a cut from each album u'll fall in love with over the festive season.

1. Nas - HipHop Is Dead ...the N... one of the best mainstream/underground hiphop albums i've heard in a while even the track with Jay-z is better than i thought same with Play On playa featuring Snoop D-O-GG. I've been skipping the Chris Webber produced Blunt Ashes coz of the poor production but Nas did what he does best and killed it, lyrically. Check out "Who killed it" my favourite track is "Where are they Now?" give a spin u'll see why. If ur into that whole club-hop or black on black-hop then this is not for you so get a copy of Young Jeezy's Inspiration or Young Joc or Lloyd Bank's Rotten Apple.

2. Chromeo - She's In control I love every track on it, it's a shame some of the songs are too short but almost reminds me of Herbie Hancock/Parliament and i'm sure there's a Timex Social Club's sample in there somewhere. Shame i'm already a couple years late. - thanx Whyte Bwoy.

3. Young Knives - Voices of Animals And Men from where i stand the arrangement/production's nice but lyrically, come on guys i could've wrote the lyrics for you. haha. Still worth checking out thou. My favourite track would have to be "Decisions" i'm sure with a better song writer these guys will be bigger than the Arctic Monkeys.

4. Dj Medhi - Lazy Boy (single) what can i say? The French scene is doing what it does best. After listening you'll wonder why they don't play such good music in clubs. where i live anyways.

5. Stan Getz/Joao Gilberto ft. Antonio Carlos Jobim - Getz/Gilberto BUY IT!!! Nuff said. BOSSA NOVA AT IT'S BEST featuring three JAZZ GREATS AND of course ASTRUD GILBERTO.

Lazy Boys

Since neither Kuda or NHG have posted a single thing in here yet i have decided to take the songs they were gonna post and review them myself. so there!

First up is NHG's choice Of Sally Shapiro

Sally Shapiro - I Know

From what i can gather Pitchfork seem to be in love with her (for the moment anyway, i'm sure the backlash will come if she ever gets big)and also seem to think she sounds like Italo Disco. I don't really understand why this is a good thing, as if you listen to pretty much any Italo record with vocals you will want to destroy whatever medium you are playing it through. Italo was the electronic equivilant to American disco and most of the lyrics were written to fit in around the instrumental rather than actually mean anything. To me this sounds quite nice and not asinine, like most of the Italo that is is being compared to. I love Italo by the way, i just don't like Pitchfork a huge amount.

Now on to Kudas choice.

Omarion - Obsession

Nice little R&B record that would sit really nicely next to the Sally Shapiro tune in a dj mix. It's a shame most people write off R&B because occasionally a nice little tune like this slips through and restores my faith in modern soul music. His other output is a bit shit though.

Now to continue the theme of singing people on electronic beats a nice little Finnish electropop tune.

Regina - Katsomaisemaa

I don't know a great deal about Regina Other than the fact she is from finland and she has a myspace profile.

To finish of this post i have chosen the Maurice Fulton remix of Alice Smith

Alice Smith - Lovee (Maurice Fulton mix)

Alice is a resident of Brooklyn and has a 4 octave vocal range not demonstrated really in this remix. I stuck the remix in so i could mention that i once booked Maurice Fultons wife Mu to play at my night and it was really wild, mainly down to her being a total maniac. Also i really like the old school house sound of this tune.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!

I thought i should share this ace Clap Your Hands Say Yeah tune i just found on the internet. It's from the forthcoming album that you will be able to purchase through their website.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! - Satan Said Dance

Space Disco Attack 2

So anyway it's 2001 (i think) and i'm djing in a bar that just opened up, spinning some funk and disco records and this dude comes over to the decks. "hey man i really like what you are playing, i actually used to be in a band that played this sort of stuff. You will never have heard of us though, we were called Atmosfear" he was in town playing bass with a soul revival show at the theatre.

Now for some reason, probably because i was really stoned all the time back then, i never made the conection that this band called Atmosfear and the band that had made the tune i had named the night i was playing at after (and this blog) could be the same band. I had just assumed that because of how much the tune got played in New York that it was an American band. It was only a year later when i was reading Wax Poetics and they had an article on disco records that i saw that they were a British Jazz Funk band. I let the dude walk away without telling him that he played bass on one of my all time favourite disco records.

Atmosfear - Dancing In Outerspace

Atmosfear - Outerspace

Disco Attack No.1

Since i named this blog after a disco record i suppose i should post some spacey disco in here from time to time.

Here's the first and it's by Harry Thuman. I'm afraid i can't really find much info on him other than the fact that his real name is Harnold Thumann and this picture of him.



Harry Thumann - Underwater

Hip hop is dead?

I got a copy of a Brennan Green mixtape from a friend a while back and there was one tune on it that really stuck in my head. It had all these girls chanting in Italian over a minimal, tribal sounding beat. I really needed it so i phoned up my geeky dj friend and played it down the phone to him. He told me it was 3rd Face - Canto Della Liberta, released on a limited run in Italy but was being reissued on Classic. I went out and bought it, played it and then found out it was actually a sample from an Italian opera and was from 1974. here is the original version.

Roberto de Simone - Secondo Coro Delle Lavandaie

I don't know how many folk follow the grime scene anymore, i was kinda shocked to read about Crazy Titch. He shot dead a grime producer in London (as he was running away from him) and has been sent down for 30 years. I found out about this just after i had read about his beef with Dizzee Rascal.


Here's his diss track against Dizzee

Crazy Titch - Jus An Arsehole

Here's one of the mashups i played at the mashup night i was spinning at on Sunday, it's by The Arbiters

The Arbiters - Gimme That Love Thing

Here's their myspace

It was all over by the time i got there

So i managed to play an entire night of mashups last night. I didn't think i was gonna manage it but somehow it happened, although the guys who do the night apparently play a lot more drastic bootlegs than i did. I was happy anyway and the Yeah yeah yeahs mashup went down a storm so it's all good.

I played the Xvectors version of Your Love at the night but i looped up the intro from the Friendly Fires version and stuck it over the top. I have to say that it sounded dope even though it is quite an obvious trick to pull.

Friendly Fires - Your Love

Buy their stuff

I just found this remix over on Acid Girls and it's a total winner. I used to play The Night by Frankie Valli when i was a teenager trying to seem like i understood northern soul, but i didn't know about this tune at all. Check here for more stuff by these guys.

Frankie Valli - Beggin (Pilooski edit)

I thought i would chuck this tune by Breakbot on here because my mate Kuda (who i will be posting music from soon) said he liked it and i had a proper listen to it and sure enough it was pretty dope.

Breakbot - Baghdad Gangbang

What's a Blog?

So anyway i went to Exodus (a crappy scream bar in Aberdeen) last night and it really sucked. When i got in, after queueing for what felt like an hour, they were playing The Rapture so i thought it might be alright. While i was waiting to get a drink they played some LCD Soundsystem, Brakes and other punkfunk sounding pop tunes. However when i had my drinks and was ready to dance they had started playing crappy rock music that the soundsystem couldn't really handle.

Rubbish.

They did play 'Around the world' later on but not the version by Along Came Jones with Yeah yeah yeahs 'Maps' over the top that has been floating around online.

Daft Punk and Yeah Yeah Yeahs - World Maps (Along Came Jones Edit)


This sounds kinda messy on the first listen but then starts to kind of make sense, i can't wait to play this out tonight at the bootleg/mashup night i have to play at.

I met up with the Hookers Green guys there, they have a new album coming out soon and i hope it is well received as i rate them as one of the most interesting bands in Scotland at the moment. The stuff i have heard from the new album is really good so far, especially Love Anthem which i am hopefully going to do a remix of for them. Check the video my brother made for them...



Hookers Green Number 1 - The Strode Adventure


This is from their first album 'On how the illustious captain moon won the war for us' which you should all buy a copy of here.

They are also playing at Adventure Close To Home in London on January 27th supporting Buraka Son Sistema.


Also worth checking out are Xvectors, they are a four piece band from Edinburgh on the Oscarr label. They are playing at The Mad Hatters artschool party that i am help organise on the 14th of December at The Tunnels. Here is their version of the classic chicago anthem 'Your Love' by Jamie Principle

Xvectors - Your Love

Buy it here