Gully Creeping

Now, obviously, Ive missed the boat on the whole Usain Bolt/dancehall hype, both Wayne and Prancehall have covered it already - for those of you who blinked though, its all about the dances Bolt did during his various celebrations - the Nuh Linga, which now has a version dedicated especially to him (the first of many no doubt), the Gully Creepa (see below), and now, a new dance named after him - 'The Lightning Bolt' (which may or may not be the same dance as the Gully Bolt):



It's all about the Gully Creepa though. One of the coolest and strangest dances Ive seen in ages. The Creppa riddim (produced by Sean Reid, or 'Seanizzle') sounds like an update of something from a few years back but I cant quite place it. Those rolling snares and hi-hats are matched perfectly by the smooth shambling movements of the dance - and theres a few shots in the video of Ellie and crew stalking down the gullys (huge drainage ditches in Kingston that often separate garrisons) which, if you have even an inkling of the murderous history of the city, bring to mind situations that are far more chilling than any amount of Halloween make up.

Anyway. Great stuff. Looks like Im gonna have to buy this one and learn the steps:

Dubstep Interludes

I don't normally post much about dubstep, and Im not about to start now, but a few things have caught my eye recently:

Ben UFO going from strength to strength on his Ruffage sessions. Though I'm rarely listening live Ive been downloading this religiously for yonks now. Top quality mixing and a selection thats varied enough to keep even the jaded grumblers like myself happy. Latest episode is here.

Generation Bass on MAH. Though her breathless exhortations and over hyping drives me mental, this one is solid. Especially liking the Joker and Starkey sets. Is it really 3(!) years since dubstep wars? Get the mp3 here.

Brilliant FACT mix linking the wonky synth movement currently all the rage with the very unfashionable synth monsters of the 70s and 80s. Beautifully put together, and educational too. Needless to say Im a big fan of DJs mixing dubstep up with different electronic genres... after all, thats what its made for!

Ramadanman guest mix at dub war. Great set from the Hessle don, full of unreleased tunes and naughty dubs. Spot the odd tune out.

Grievous Angel on the tortuously subtitled Electronic Explorations show. Been waiting for this for a while now. In retrospect i should probably have just asked Paul for an advance copy! Hes good like that ;).

And thats yer lot.

Blogariddims 48 / Jazz from Woebot

(Droid Sez: Episode 48 comes from the one and only Woebot, who has (kind of) come out of retirement to contribute this set. Theres not much to add to Matt's intro and post, simply that I hope you'll all enjoy this musical ambrosia as much as I have....)

Shunted off the stage and smoking in the alley. For a while Jazz had something like an Embassy but then its proponents drifted on to Reggae and Brazilian music. Now no-one (apart from you dear listener) gives a shit about it:

Download direct here, subscribe here, or peruse the series at your leisure here.

1. Yuseef Lateef: Plum Blossom
2. Andrew Hill: Illusion
3. Gil Evans: The Barbara Song
4. Marion Brown: Bismillah Raxmani Rahim
5. Don Cherry: Brown Rice
6. Mahavishnu Orchestra: You Know You Know
7. Roy Ayers: We Live In Brooklyn
8. William Fischer: Circles
9. Weather Report: Non-Stop Home
10. Billy Cobham: Stratus

This mix has been specially put together for the Blogariddims series.

Follow this link for more information.

Blogariddims Round Up

So - nearly 2 months of blogariddims have gone by with nary a whisper from my vocal circuits. It feels a bit like the self-loathing and despair brought on by a hospital stay followed by weeks of DIY and home improvement have worn off somewhat, so now seems a good time to update things as theres no telling how long this will last before I lapse into somnolence once again.

First on the list is Blogariddims 45 / Fusion part 1 from the profligate DJ Zhao:
Zhao was scheduled for a Blogariddims way back in '06, but for various reasons it never happened. I'm very happy that he was squeezed back into the schedule though as this mix is a superlative example of how mash-ups and cross genre mixing can be a good thing, as his technically excellent mixing and playful selection make for a highly entertaining listen. I've been listening to this since it came out and I still haven't absorbed it fully. Also recommended is his Ngoma mix Vol.1.

Blogariddims 46 / Doppelmix from the mysterious Doppelganger was next up:

I've been a fan of Dopplegangers' writings for a while now, he's one of the few bloggers out there who can bring theory into an analysis of music, comics and (ahem) doctor who! without coming across like an elitist polo-neck wearing twat. His trademark doodlewerk is great too, having made the job of Woofah layout somewhat of a more enjoyable task. I knew he would come up with an epic post to go with his mix (and he has), but I had no idea what his selection would be like, so I was happily surprised when this monomaniacally dark episode hit the airwaves. In his own words:

I started off with such grand aspirations:.... an architectonic mix... a psychometric reckoning... a map... a narrative of the psyche. The return of the repressed in the form of the 'Theme from Joe 90'. A hint of the Lacanian Real in 'Power Rangers - Mystic Force" (surprisingly good). 'Voodoo Ray' exhumed from the collective unconscious. A fragrant Kruder and Dorfmeister - smelling more of cred than sweat... representatives from the psychotopographical corners of the inner globe... a cathartic purge of my musical unconscious....

But there's a reason for repression: assembled together in the exercise yard - lined up like a Colditz count with a couple of dummy prisoners thrown into the line-up, those boys looked ugly....

So I went for one note: Not a neurotic exhumation of the past, but a single psychotic present. A Deleuzian walk in the sunshine..... a dark yodel.....

And so, having just had our apples and oranges, it was time for something even less easily comparable... dragonfruit maybe?

Kid Shirt, FACT writer, geomantic music critic, and techno-occultist extraordinare picked up the mantle with Blogariddims 47 / Ontological Hysteria

I've pretty much run out of superlatives at this point, so I just have two things to say about this set.

1. This is probably one of the episodes Ive put on repeat the most, I dunno why really, I just put it on and I don't feel the need to flick. Either its something to do with mood, pacing and atmosphere, or some kind of subliminal 192kbps incantation encoded along with the rest audio information.
   
   
2. Any mix that starts with two tunes from goblin has got to be good.

Here's what the man himself has to say:

This mix is a deliberately genreclectic collection, ie it doesn’t plough any particular musical furrow. Instead, the tunes are linked around a vague theme of, erm, Ontological Hysteria – in that they all display some sense of impending pandemonium, either real or imagined…all the artists or songs here reveal some level of inner tension that manifests itself in the form of all sorts of batty symptoms from low-level teeth-grinding to full-on howling-at-the-moon midnight bareneck nekkid dancing. Songs on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown, basically.

And thats that. Posting guilt absolved - for now.

Next episode out on Monday.

Too Out of Order

I've been taking a longer than usual break in-between posting recently for various reasons and to be honest Ive got little to offer now other than a few links. The Éiretronica post is still languishing half written in my drafts folder, and that Reach mix is going to take a while to get up as well.

I blame it on the weather myself.

One negative thing about not being arsed to post anything is that you miss the boat on stuff like Nick Guttas excellent new(ish) netlabel Bleepfiend. Everything is free, previously unreleased, hardware based material with artwork by Doppelganger of Woofah/Blogariddims fame (!)... as the man himself says:

Bleepfiend is a totally independent net-label, primarily dedicated to releasing lost/forgotten/unreleased electronic music recordings that we feel deserve a wider audience, to the best of our limited abilities.

Why bother?

Because we want to tell a story: the story of a generation's struggle to realise it's ideas under limitations that would be unthinkable for electronic artists today. This is music made at subsistence level, harnessing whatever technology was available or affordable at the time, from analogue synths to cheap home keyboards, extinct micro-computers to domestic tape recorders. It is the sound of struggle - the creative urge pushing against limitations, forcing the artists to develop their own recording strategies...

So get over there and download (and donate if you've got the cash).

Rob Haigh of Omni Trio fame has just released a new LP, and theres an interesting interview with him over at the Crouton site. I always knew the man had some pedigree in the whole industrial/ambient/no wave field, but I wasn't aware he'd had releases on the excellent L.A.Y.L.A.H. label, home to the brilliant Organum amongst others. From what Ive heard so far his new material owes a large debt to Harold Budd - which can only be a good thing really.

In a similar vein, I was recently made aware of the 'one' netlabel. Tons of nice ambient/drone/postrock/experimental/electronic releases available for free download there. I was also informed of this free album from Nest at the same time. Lovely looping minimal piano business from Deaf Center contributor Otto Totland and Serein honcho Huw Roberts. I told Slug about this as I know hes a big fan of Type records and received the typical 'Oh - Ive had that for ages' response... Big up to Logos and Mattrick on SC for actually telling me about stuff!

Last but not least, the fantastic musical world of the Nintendo DS has just expanded yet again with the release of the Korg DS-10. No more messing about with bulky patch bays, Sticky sliders or broken knobs - now you can do all your synthesis on the go, using two patchable virtual synths with two oscillators each, a drum machine, a sequencer, and a full range of effects, to name but a few features. Check out some vids here. Ive been playing with this for the last week or so and it's ace.

Blogariddims 44 / Éiretronica : Underground

Havent had the time to write something for this, and Im away for a week starting tomorrow, but in the interests of keeping to schedule, I thought it best to post this short note about Blogariddims 44, a set that we did for the 'Underground' exhibition running in the basement of Road Records here in Dublin for the next week or so.

droid + slug - Blogariddims 44 / Éiretronica : Underground(86.6mb.mp3)

A selection of Irish electronica from the late 90s to today. Sequenced in Ableton by droid + slug for the 'Underground' Exhibition 27/06/08 - 14/07/08 in Road Records, Dublin.

1.The Soul Gun Warriors - A Beginning - (Unreleased)
2. Slug - f minus d - The Fear Recordings (Unreleased)
3. Dennis McNulty - BabyBarioPool - Sao Paulo Se - http://dennismcnulty.com/
4. Deasy - The Closing Door (extract) - Music is not Hygiene - The Fear Recordings
5. Decal - Carpenter - 404 Not Found - Planet Mu
6. Deasy - New Generation MIx - Shut Up and Make - The Fear Recordings
7. Naphta - Tough Love (extract) - DEAF 2003 Sampler
8. Rollers Sparkers - Spumeral - Second Level Crossing - LazyBird
9. Sunken Foal - Colloidal Silver - Fallen Arches - Planet Mu
10. Daniel Figgis - Egg & Anchor - Skipper - Rough Trade
11. Decal - Remembering Waves - Little Sketches - http://www.decal-artifacts.com/
12. Margaret Noble - The walk home on Ashland - Acroplane
13. Ambulance - Hymn - Planet Mu
14. Solen - Block - Alphabet Set
15. Deasy - Pondlife (droid + slug's Pondeath mix) - The Fear Recording (Unreleased)
16. Spectac - Cyborgs in the face of every child - Front End Synthetics
17. Booger - Majik - Front End Synthetics
18. Colz - Salvia Remix - http://www.myspace.com/deejaycolz
19. Twoc - Attica Blue - Alphabet Set
20. BEW - Glock Dub - Acroplane

Loads more info to come!

Blogariddims 43 / Deep in Bludgrooves

(Droid sez:) We're limping rather than sprinting to the finish line with this severely delayed epsiode (thanks mainly to my failing organic components) from another Subvert Central regular: 'Sir Loris of Crowthorne'. Loris is another contributor from the non-blogging community who has put up some nice mixes in the past, and this set is no exception, featuring a sweet and mellow selection of roots and dub classics alongside an equally nice write up. Again sorry for the delay with this one, but the good news is that the schedule is (almost) back on track as 44 will hit the stands on Monday, which puts us only a week out of sync with only six episodes left.

Everything you need to know about the cast is here, including a rundown of all the earlier episodes, and you can download this episode by subscribing or getting it direct. Without further ado: Sir Loris presents: Deep in Bludgroves:

Sir Loris - Blogariddims 43 / Deep in Bludgrooves (79.7mb.mp3)

So then, number 43 already and time to present my podcast to the blogging world. As with the majority of music hobbits who lurk on the net, I don’t really dj on a professional level, instead I’ve got into the incredibly bad habit of amassing more records than I know what to do with and not really taking the ‘playing gigs’ part of the job very seriously. Despite all that it is still a huge amount of fun putting collages together from time to time and seeing what a hidden audience make of them.

The weekend before I assembled this mix I’d set my decks back up and dug out all my old reggae to listen to. After a few hours of non-stop listening I’d managed to put aside a worthy pile of favourites that I would later include in a blogariddims mix. Thanks again for inviting me to be a part of it Droid.

The overall theme of the mix was to use a collection of tracks that had some meaning to me. Music I enjoyed and understood. I’m not a devout reggae head but some of what I have picked up over the years I still get huge satisfaction from. This mix centres around dub for the most part but does include some roots and lovers rock in places, albeit quite sparingly.

Techniques - Born To Love
Love Joys - Jah Light
Grandpa Culture - Production Dub
The Travellers - South Africa

Kicking things off we start with the opening track off Winston Riley’s ‘Meditation Dub’ LP. This was first the first dub record I remember buying so using ‘Born To Love’ as an introduction to the mix seemed quite fitting. Fans of Scientist, Jammy and Tubby et al need to check the other side of the fence; this is rocksteady and it ain’t pretty! I followed this track with the Love Joys’ heavenly Jah Light off their dazzling ‘Reggae Vibes’ LP on Top Ranking.

Edging into number three with a classic Revolutionarys production, Sly & Robbie lay down one of their signature drum workouts for us here on the wondrous Production Dub. Unfortunately I can’t find very much info about this 7” other than it was a High Note release without a catalogue number. Moving back into vocal territory with The Travellers’ South Africa, Errol Nelson’s angelic voice is what really runs things on this track. Soul music on another level, you can play this virtually anywhere and it’ll always get a good response.

Ansel Collins – Portebello
Wackie's All Stars - Take Time

The next section features a couple of the more rhythmic, instrumental numbers I chose for this podcast. Ansel Collins’ lively Portebello with that dreamy, seductive melodica running through it and Lloyd Bullwackies’ unrelenting Take Time with its unruly pops and horns peppered over the mix. Complete musicality in these tracks, both of them as infectious each other. Straight up bad tunes – make no mistake.

Morwells Esquire - Never Gonna Give You Up
Barry Brown - Big Big Pollution

I thought we were due some vocals at this point so I opted for a couple of upbeat roots tunes to liven things up a touch. A nice contrast in style on these two with Never Give Gonna Give You Up highlighting the more traditional side of what reggae artists were doing around that time. Barry Brown’s Big Big Pollution is an altogether deeper affair with its lazy riddim and repetitious vocals propping it up. Light hearted reggae that does what it says on the tin!

The Arabs Feat. Prince Far I - Long Life
Linval Thompson - Roll RiverJordan (version)
The Simeons - 16 Track Rock
Dennis Bovell – Scientific

The next few tracks showcase the more experimental side of dub. Far I’s mesmerising Long Life off the amazing ‘Cry Tuff Dub Encounter’ LP was (and still is) like nothing I’d ever heard in reggae before. Drums literally falling over themselves, strings that sound like they’re being plucked from nowhere, and this vibe to it almost like it’ll go on forever. I chose to interrupt things with a version at this point – quite a well known one actually – Roll River Jordan. You only hear the odd glimpse of Thompson’s unmistakable voice in this tune, but that’s all you need, it’s the bassline and depth that really make this work. Deceptively laid back in style, this is relentless, purposeful dub at its best.

Like every other genre out there, occasionally you come across a gem hidden in the sale rack of a charity shop. The Simeons hail from the UK and only ever made one record. I managed to find this in Oxfam on Kentish Town Road a few years ago. Drawn to the cover with a magical Rasta bus on the front, it was pretty obvious this record would have at least a couple of outstanding cuts on it when I picked it up. Well worth purchasing if you ever spot it anywhere. Rounding off this chapter with the cosmic sounds of Dennis Bovell’s Scientific, I felt compelled to include this because of the crazy intro. The vocals are pretty nifty too - if a little cheesy.

Vivian Jackson - Tubbys Vengeance
Thompson Sound - Guide Me In Dub Style
Sugar Minott - International Herb

So, into the final hurdle with some real heavyweight records to round things off with. Vivian Jackson (aka Yabby You) produced some sterling work during the 70s, notably his best material with the late King Tubby. Tubbys Vengeance sits firmly in that bracket. Expertly produced and as deep as it gets. Check the arrangements on this one.

I tried not to double up on the same artist whilst putting this episode together, but felt the ending was lacking something so I bit my tongue and pulled ‘Guide Me In Dub Style’ out of its sleeve. Great percussion on this tune with Scientist doing what he does best behind the mixing desk.

We finish the mix with some downright eerie business from Sugar Minott. Spooky roots reggae at its best this. I had to stick this at the end because of how unsettled it makes me feel. The original version features on his Jamming In The Street LP but was later reissued by Wackie’s on 10”. A slightly different cut I think, though you can never be sure. Personally I’d buy them both…

Mechanical failure

Just got out of hospital after an unexpected illness, so apologies to all blogariddims fans and contributors for the gap in the schedule. Everything should be back in order here shortly, including a nice studio version of our recent REACH set.