In Other Peoples’ Lists We Trust
Invisible Conga People – Cable Dazed (MP3)
Here at Best Foot Forward, we don’t like to stick with the crowd, who ramp up their output for end of year lists. We’re much happier to take December off, as no doubt evidenced from recent postings.
Lazy? Us? No: we just balk in the face of convention.
But you know, if all those lists are out there. It would be rude not to take a gander. Yer Mam are working their way through 100 tracks and 50 albums (I bet you’re regretting that now James!), and I’ve been spending the afternoon listening to Pitchfork’s Top 100 Tracks of 2009 (thanks Black Country Grammar) and having my ears pricked up by some bits that I missed over the year.
And top of the “stuff I hadn’t heard” list has to be this – coming in at #50, Cable Dazed is a track by little known Invisible Conga People, released on Italians Do It Better. It’s a real low-key techno stormer – but don’t let the dreaded ‘T’ word put you off – think Villalobos with soul, or Carl Craig and Can doing the Conga. Basically, I loves it.
Happy New Year.
Addendum: As I was posting this, I was searching for an image and found it on 20JazzFunkGreats, who had this in their Best Of 2007 post. Those fuckers are so far ahead of the curve that it looks like a speck of dust in their rear-view mirror, and if they’ve beaten Pitchfork by 12 months, I don’t mind posting this now. Ah, to be as cool as the cool kids, that would be something indeed.
An Apple A Day…
World Of Apples – Chroma (MP3)
World Of Apples – Prelude (MP3)
Christian Zimmerman – Diary Of A Lost Girl (World Of Apples Mojave Rehab Mix) (MP3)
After a 3 day/night New Year blow-out, 2009 didn’t exactly start as was intended. Albeit 4 days behind schedule, the objective is to now have a stress free, relaxed, and healthy year; we shall see…
World of Apples, one of Ewan Pearson’s lesser known nom de plumes, more than personifies the above feelings. Released solely on his own Giant45 label, and with only three releases in total, the tracks posted here transcend various genres and styles…
‘Chroma’ is a mellow nu-disco cut, that first appeared back on the ‘Chroma EP’ back in 1997. ‘Prelude’ is an even mellower, whistle happy, samba track, which was the last of the Giant45 releases, back in 2000. And the ‘Diary Of A Lost Girl’ remix, is an ethereal, melodious journey – and also a personal favourite – that was released back in 1999…
Happy, relaxing 2009!
From Russia With Love…
AN-2 – Diva (September Version) (MP3)
AN-2 – Wings (Fatal Version) (MP3)
Musically, not too many good things come from our Eastern friends. Mr Andrei Zakharov however, would seem to be an exception. Over the past 4 years or so, he has (from his base in St Petersburg) set up his own record label, called Theomatic, and released some pretty solid stuff under the moniker AN-2. The two tracks posted here are two of my personal favourites; ‘Diva’ being an upbeat, tambourine laden disco record, and ‘Wings’ being a dark and moody chugging house record. Both are top notch…
Kermit I Love You, But You’re Bringing Me Down
This is simply fantastic. Make sure to hang around till the end for a wonderful twist.
We’re not normally the embedded video posting types here, but given our mad DFA love thought it right to break with tradition for this. Enjoy.
Already Starting To Pick Out My Records
Eric Clapton – Behind The Mask (MP3)
Well, New Year’s Eve is fast approaching and yours truly has, seemingly be default, found himself on early doors DJ duties at Common that evening. Some might find a NYE 8PM until 10PM slot to be a bit of a bum deal, what with no-one likely to be there yet, but I’m thinking it’ll give me a nice opportunity to dry-run some potential new additions to the Best Foot Forward Official Party Music canon. And with no-one there to listen early on, no-one will be any-the-wiser when I stick a few of the best ones on again in the inevitable post-midnight drunken DJ free-for-all.
Currently top of my list of contenders is the fantastically pompous ‘Behind The Mask’ by none other than Eric Clapton. This record had a pretty interesting conception starting sometime on the early 80’s with Michael Jackson deciding he wanted to work with Kraftwerk. They unsurprisingly weren’t particularly interested in the proposed project so in stepped Ryuichi Sakamoto of Yellow Magic Orchestra instead. He took the original ‘Behind The Mask’ from YMO’s 1980 album ‘X∞ Multiplies’ and reworked it, with Jacko providing new lyrics based loosely around some of the originals. I’m not quite sure what happened next but Jacko never ended-up recording the song, although I’m so sure I’ve heard a version by him somewhere (I KNOW I’ve heard him singing that chorus but the whole internet doesn’t seem to know anything about it). Somehow the song found its way to Eric Clapton who then recorded it with, yes, Phil Collins not only on drums but also producing.
There seem to be quite a few videos for ‘Behind The Mask’ on Youtube, with I think my two favourites being this Yellow Magic Orchestra one (awesome outfits, awesome hexagonal electric drums and weird, but still awesome on-stage girl-behind-door action) and what it possibly the most 80’s gig imaginable with not only a fantastically-mulletted Phil drumming live but also, unless I’m very much mistaken, a rather fresh-faced Jools Holland on keyboard duties. You certainly don’t get gigs like that any more!
If I’m honest I much prefer the original YMO version for home listening. When it comes to choosing which to play out on a new Year’s Eve however, it’s got to be old Slow Hand. I reckon this’ll be getting played twice come December 31st.
Spottieottiedopaliscious / Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
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Outkast – Spottieottiedopaliscious (MP3)
Since the avalanche of (well deserved) love showered on Outkast for the delectable Love Below, everyone seems to have forgotten they existed pre-Ms. Jackson. I’m here to redress that fact, with this horn heavy dub-out from 1998, telling tales of a psychedelic evening spent in a purple haze, with Andre’s Spottieottiedopaliscious “Lulling lukewarm lullabies in his left ear” …
Go on marinate on that for a minute.
Back To My Roots…
Mandy Smith – Mandy’s Theme (I Just Can’t Wait) (Cool & Breezy Jazz Version) (MP3)
Odyssey – Going Back To My Roots (MP3)
Manchester beckons, and what better way to celebrate my return to the motherland than with a couple of classic tracks that illustrate my giddy school girl behaviour today…
First up is Bill Wyman’s somewhat controversial ex-wife, Mandy Smith (“thirteen, thir-fucking-teen!”), with her “Cool and Breezy Jazzy Version” of “Mandy’s Theme”. Second up is, Odyssey and their top notch version of “Going Back To My Roots”. Short and sweet; roll on tomorrow…
So It Was All Just A Dream… Or Was It?
Cocteau Twins – Ice-Pulse (MP3)
Death In Vegas – Help Yourself (MP3)
Sorry about that. I was just having little lie-down after my last post and must’ve dozed-off. I’d better post a couple of sissy indie dream-pop songs quickly, before anyone notices I’ve been away.
‘Ice-Pulse’ is from ‘Bluebeard EP’: one of Cocteau Twins’ later, post-4AD records when they were a bit more, well, dreamy and poppy. I’m not sure if Liz Fraser’s voice is everyone’s cup-of-tea, more instrument than vocal performance I suppose, but I think she’s ace and at her crystalline, multi-layered best on this. Robin Guthrie’s pop-goth guitar sounds great too. I managed to snaffle a 12″ copy of this on eBay not so long since for a very reasonable 99p (plus postage and packing of course). A bit of a bargain.
‘Help Yourself’ closes Death In Vegas’ 2002 ‘Scorpio Rising’ and is sung by Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval; again, another voice that’s probably not for everyone. Great production of course from Richard Fearless and Tim Holmes and some stunning string and sitar arrangements by violinist Dr. Subramaniam turn the typically fragile, half-whisperied sadness of Ms Sandoval into something majestic, epic and joyous. God I sound like I’m trying out for Pitchfork.
What?! Oh come on, you didn’t exactly expect me to post ‘Mammagamma‘ by The Alan Parsons Project did you?
In The City Tonight…
Empire – Big City (Extended Version) (MP3)
Released back in 1988, “Big City” is the B-side to the title track “Imagination”. I know absolutely nothing more on these guys, so feel free to shed some light…
Basically, this is one of those Balearic pop records that either really does it, or really doesn’t; I think Kev calls them “a Marmite record”. Anyway, think ‘William Pitt’ meets ‘It’s Immaterial’ and you’re not far off…
Quick – Get Your Kicks With This Eurythmics Remix
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Eurythmmics – Love Is A Stranger (Coldcut Remix) (MP3)
Oh shit this is super duper heavy … Coldcut get all “92-style acid-dub” on an old single from Annie and Dave. The perfect bouncing ingredient to your tasty dance floor recipe. I’ve just rinsed this five times on repeat, will be listening to it long into the night, and will no doubt let it into the wild on Saturday night. Listen, love, repeat …
