Manuva’s possibly the only rapper alive who when asked to sum up the spirit of his new album would explain it thus “You got to sing like no one’s listening. You gotta fart like there’s no one there to smell it!”

As for Miss Jones… well just watch the video for her new track “Corporate Cannibel” below to see that even at 60 she’s as wonderfully bonkers as ever.

Grace Jones stole the show as Jarvis Cocker’s guest at Meltdown last year (review) and although I stupidly decided not to go, she was by all accounts mesmerising when given a full set by this years Meltdown curators, Massive Attack.
“Corporate Cannibel” is her first new material for 19 years, and Grace is in full diva dominatrix flow intoning deeply… “I’m a man eating machine. I can’t get enough prey, pray for me“.
The video suits the song perfectly, but I can’t help but think director Nick Hooker pulled the pvc over Jones eyes slightly when making it.
“Yes Grace, all state of the art post production, top of the range computer effects, no expense has been spared… just stand in front of that camera and look mean“.
Cue Nick firing up his Macbook and hitting record on the Photobooth software that comes free with it!  (see my snaps opposite)

The album “Hurricane“ follows in October featuring Brian Eno, Sly & Robbie, Wally Baduru, Tony Allen and Tricky.

You can watch/download the video - which I love really - in much higher quality quicktime on Nick Hookers site, or sign up to GraceJonesTV on Youtube to catch the latest teasers for the album.

ROOTS MANUVA

After the limited edition first single “Buff Nuff“, Roots Manuva really wets the appetite for his new “Slime & Reason” LP with his next single “Again & Again“.  Caution! Every spin of this tune raises the temperature by a degree, which given that it isnt out untill the last week of August should ensure an Indian summer. An Arctic Monkey provides a remix too.

Watch Rodney talking through the new album on this YouTube documentary.
Pre-order “Slime & Reason” at Amazon
Virtually stalk Rodney by watching his twitter account (non geeks google it)
Visit Roots Manuva’s site for loads of pics, videos, and probably this post too as it features one of those hoover the internet for manuva content gizmo’s.
REPOST - Roots Manuva - “Join The Dots (Drums of Death remix)” (MP3)

Podcast 04: June 08 (1 hour 09mins) - (download MP3) Subscribe itunes

Tracklist:
Desmond Dekker - “Intensify ‘68”
??? - “The Kids Back” - who is this… downloaded it but no MP3 tags, any ideas?
Plastic Little - “I’m Not A Thug” - how was this not a hit!? - join mailing list for exclusive mixtapes
Sporto Kantes - “Whistle”
Wade Nichols - “Wanda Rode Again” - buy here or visit 20jazzfunkgreats to download
These United States - “Sun Is Below and Above”
The Matinee Orchestra - “Slow Boats”
Andy Mullen - “Breakfast of Champions” - Entire LP available for free download
Tape - “Fingers” - download from their myspace
The Natural Yoghurt Band - “Space Echo”
Disrupt - “Kozure Okami” - from Jahtarian Dubbers Vol.1
South3rn - “Muslim Dub”
Mr Benn - “Long Time (feat. Blak Twang & Blackout Ja) (Original Mix)”
Massive Attack - “16 Seeter (live)”
Findlay Brown - “Promised Land” - Visit the Buffetlibre website to download this inspired cover version and dozens more reworkings of 80’s classics.
Lyrics Born - “Whispers” - LB just posted a load of free remixes on his site
Esser - “Let’s Work It Out”
DJ Nuts - “Embalo Jovem” (snippet from essential mix CD direct from Sau Paulo)
Hedluv - “Smokin’ Ban (Hedluv vs. KC & The Sunshine Band” - free downloads
Mossyrock - “Room 408”
Gable - “Puree HipHop” - Get the MP3 from Puregroove’s free downloads site
Paul Heaton - “Everything Is Everything“

Massive Attack - “16 Seeter (Feat. Horace Andy)” (MP3)

After a hugely successful Meltdown festival Massive Attack have a new album due, and fortunately someone took their tape recorder along to a recent show. Visit this site for 8 live recordings of new songs.
“Inertia Creeps” was my highlight of the gig with the list of the various lengths of detainment across the world culminating in the uk’s 42 days getting the whole place on their feet. All the flashed text of eroding freedoms under new labour were slightly undermined by security shoving their hands in front of any one snapping away with their mobile phone cams. Fight for your right to grainy distorted barely distinguishable footage!!

Paul Heaton - “Everything Is Everything” (MP3)

The Beautiful South main man returns for a cover of some classic Bootsy Collins. The lyrics are absolutely inspired as you’d expect from Heaton, with “Feminism’s fast asleep with a cock in either hand” raising a chuckle from this listener.

Finally this daft take on KC and The Sunshine band from the increasingly brilliant Hedluv. Its an ode to the smoking ban, which just popped up on their myspace.

Hedluv - “Smokin’ Ban” (MP3)

“To the window, to the wall, till the sweat drops down my balls
awwww skeet skeet skeet skeet”

Opened in 1951 for the Festival of Britain, and recently revamped for a cool 90 million, The Royal Festival Hall can’t often have reverberated to the sound of a couple of thousand people bellowing about their sweaty balls, but that was before George Clinton brought his laws of Supergroovalisticprosifunkstication to town. A hall full of mostly English people going “awwww skeet skeet skeet skeet” has to be one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen, and this being the internet you can always find a good online row over what the word means. I’m sure it’s all entirely innocent, and George is merely a keen Clay Pigeon shooter.

For the first 15 minutes, George is no where to be seen, and its left to Garry “Starchild” Shider to lead the funk with more panache than a 55 year old man in a large cloth nappy has any right to. Initially he teams the nappy with shades and the type of jacket not seen since Cameo’s codpiece was causing grannies to choke over tea time top of the pops. However the jacket is soon dispensed with and its just one man at one with his diaper and guitar, he owns the stage during “Funkentelechy” as only the original Cosmic John the Bop-tist can.

The place is so wrapped up in the wonder of “Cosmic Slop” that when George strolls on unannounced midway through, it takes a few moments before the place erupts into a 10 minute standing ovation.
As the Guardian observed “Clinton showed he’s still a style leader - rocking multi-coloured Evisu jeans, a neon T-shirt, gold hoody and hair that is best described as Tina Turner meets Don Letts“.
Pulling down the hood and shaking his multicoloured locks loose, he greets the packed and on their feet festival hall with the most charming, largest and warmest of grins. His grey beard, and shock of hair for some reason put me in mind of Harry from Bigfoot and The Henderson’s (Youtube), but that’s probably just me!

George and his P-Funk All-stars are not just visually brilliant, it’s the sound, the vision and the fun, as blogger Strawpig puts it:

“I’m not entirely sure how to describe it other than WOW! It was truly awesome. So much power and energy and fun and funk, the band were SO tight (despite quite clearly being totally off their faces in some cases). Easily one of the best gigs I’ve ever been too”.

Clinton’s voice was perhaps the biggest surprise of the night, his vocal chords seemed to generate so much power that if hooked to the London Eye it’d be less big wheel and more spin dryer. I’d not expected a roar with so much soul, while his spoken voice was more predictably baritone.

The show is very much in the spirit of James Brown’s ensemble style, only crossed with a touring theatre company, and then soaked in vat of something very trippy.
They even bring along their own “Bad guy”, Sir Nose D’VoidofFunk, dressed in puffy white fur like Snoop Dogg playing Huggy Bear. He’s the voice of anti-funk, with “Fuck George” daubed on the side of a large fake nose, and constantly appears holding up banners like “GEORGE CLOWN ASS”. Eventually of course, the funk defeats him and he clambers to the top of a speaker stack and shakes what his mamma gave him.
Word on the web is he’s also quite “buff”:

“Oh and Sir Nose D’Voidoffunk is HOT. THIS is the only picture I can find and I don’t even know if that’s the same guy plus I wasn’t really looking at his face (he could have one eye for all I care his body was slammin’).”

So here’s a shot for the appreciation of that lady alone.

George is certainly not afraid to share the limelight with each of the three female vocalists taking a song each. Hippy chick Kendra Foster had the crowd singing along on “Bounce to This”… “Everybody just bounce to this”, although my own lyrics were slightly amended to “Buy a bra… for gods sake Buy a bra”.

Another singer Kim seems to have received an online slagging for “destroying” “Red Hot Mamma” but I thought her voice was pretty good considering she was rollerskating at the time!
She was certainly skilled in the looking good in a one piece cat suit and roller skates department; I thought Ricky Rouse was going to have a seizure when she skated over him as he lay on the floor. Earlier she’d also excelled at standing in front of a large spotlight that accidentally shows the outline of your entire body through your very tight yellow dress.

Gene ‘”Poo Poo Man” Anderson (God I love these names) led one song as if James Brown was being channeled through his body, and another guitarist who’d come dressed as Zorro was on his knees on the front of the stage by the shows climax.

Then there’s Michael “Kidd Funkadelic” Hampton’s whose moment to shine arrived with the axe wielding monster that is “Maggotbrain”, voted one of the 10 greatest guitar solo’s of all time in a poll I just made up. It started chaotically with a bum notes on both drums and guitar but although some of its recorded subtlety was lost, the power of what is essentially a 10 minute guitar solo is still immense. He also displayed good ingenuity in employing his v shaped guitar as a makeshift towel rack.

After mass stage invasions, and as much dancing as the Royal Festival Hall can manage (i.e. not that much really) at twenty past eleven, three hours after taking to the stage the roadies resorted to dismantling the equipment while the band continued to lead sing-along’s. Kash, the lycra clad drummer took his kit being dismantled as an invitation to lead the crowd in one final chant of “WE WANT THE FUNK, WE WANT THA FUNK” as he disappeared.

Setlist:
Did anyone get one?

Funkentelechy
Up on the Down Stroke
You and Your Folks
Cosmic Slop
Maggot Brain
Red Hot Mama
Bounce to this
One Nation Under A Groove
Atomic Dog

George Clinton - Myspace / Official site / One Nation P-Funk Messageboard

Listen:
Funkadelic - “Music For My Mother (Single version)” (MP3)

Look:
My flickr set of pictures from RFH gig
Jennifer Whitehead was right up the front and got some great shots
Sacha Wheeler was in the second row at his “best gig ever” and with a camera too
Last but not least, Pix Gremlin must have had a photo pass and therefore escapedbeing told to put the camera away every five seconds… these pictures are phenomenal!

Watch:
Youtube clips - Rough clip of George leading “Sweat runs down my balls singalong”
Parliament / George / Funkadelic documentary on Youtube

Podcast 03: May 08 (1 hour 18mins) - (download MP3) Subscribe itunes

Its getting later by the month but episode three of music like dirt radio is here, with some of the months finest music squeezed into just over an hour. Don’t forget to click on the artist names to visit their myspace or download page.

Anyone any good or want to have a bash at making me a jingle? Music like dirt radio is crying out for some, otherwise I might have to start talking (and we wouldnt want that).  Send a jingle even its just you saying musiclikedirt or a full on composition (yeah who am I kidding) to the email.

Tracklist:
Desmond Dekker - “Intensify ‘68 (Music Like Dirt)”
Jim Noir - “What U Gonna Do”
Steinski - “The Big Man Laughs”
Les Edits Du Golum - “Don’t Unless”
Glass Shark - “Casual Sex”
Micah P. Hinson And The Red Empire Orchestra - “Tell Me It Ain’t So”
Raekwon - “Once In A Lifetime”
Renfro - “Invite The Bullets In”
Flight of the Conchords - “Ladies of the World”
The Ruby Sons - “Tane Mahuta”
unknown - “Chris Moyles”
Jay Bharadia - “Crocodile 17″
Edwin Starr - “War (The Buzz Remix)”
D-Frost Beats - “The King James Version Pt.2″
Steinski - “Nothing To Fear mix”
James Brown - “There Was A Time (Kenny Dope Remix)”
?? - taken from O2 Voodoo Frank mix of Afro Funk - visit Franks blog
Nathan Fake - “Charlie’s House (Apparat Remix)”
Ricardo Villalobos - “Enfants (Chants)”
Bleeding Heart Narrative - “Braids And A Necklace”
John Matthias - “Stockwell Road”
Nick Mulvey - “I Didn’t Have Time”
The Chap - “Ethnic Instrument”
Grabba Grabba Tape - “Dale, Banana!”
Mickey Factz - “Machine Gun”
Unforscene - “Belly Full Of Lead”
General Store - “Nothing Can Come Between Us”

The glamour and decadence of seventies Disco beats at the very heart of Hercules & Love Affair and the sleazy streets of Soho somehow seem a fitting setting for their London debut. Hurrying through the rain sodden streets, along Old Compton St - the capitals historical home of homosexuality - before turning into “Porn Alley” otherwise known as Walker’s Court with its XXXX shops and flashing “Live Sex” signs.
When Soft Cell wanted to capture the sordid essence of their “Non Stop Erotic Cabaret” album - example song titles, “Sex Dwarf“, and “Seedy Films” - they snapped Walker’s Court for the back cover. Indeed Almond once lived over the streets most famous venue, Raymond’s Revue Bar, his bedroom window looking in on the dancing girls and strippers as they changed between numbers.
The famous neon of Paul Raymond’s Revue Bar once proclaimed itself “The World Centre of Erotic Entertainment“, opening in 1958 as the UK’s first legal striptease venue. The doors closed a few years ago to be re-branded as the Soho Revue Bar.
As someone who grew up passing by on the way to the record store mecca of Berwick Street it feels very very strange to be going in… for a gig!

Inside is a world of wall to wall purple crushed velvet, it appears vast at first but as you take the walkway from one side of Walkers Court to the venue on the other, peering out over Soho as you cross, the main room turns out to be surprisingly intimate. It also still has dancing poles wither side of the seatng.

Back in April 07 I described Hercules & Love Affair’s debut as my most anticipated album for 08, verbally salivating at the prospect of Anthony Hegarty (of “and the Johnson’s” fame) riding a stomping Chicago house / disco beat. The place was understandably buzzing with the anticipation of seeing Hegarty in his new found role of Disco Diva, but perhaps it was a little naive to expect him to be out on the road with H&LA and as they took to the stage it was clear Anthony was still with the Johnson’s.

GEEZER MINNELLI

“OK I want everyone in the crowd to welcome us by shouting…. Hi-za Minnelli!” It’s a little game we play on tour explains H&LA main man Andy Butler, who, and I don’t wish to shock or “out” anyone here, may be ever so slightly gay. The diminutive vocalist Kim Ann - introduced by Butler as the ultimate “gay boy” continues the theme… “When we leave, you all have to shout Bye-Za Minnelli“. As befits a group born out of New York’s East Village club scene they are as one reviewer put it a “bunch of beautiful oddballs“.  And they seem relaxed for their first London outing, with the bassist finishing the Minnelli themed crowd warm up in cod theatrical German “and when in Germany you must say unt Shiza Minnelli“.

Aside from Kim Ann, the main vocalist stepping into Hegarty’s shoes is Nomi, a stunning statuesque woman in the tightest shortest skirt with legs that only stop where the clouds begin. What most of the salivating straight men in the audience probably don’t realise is she was actually born a he.  Me? Well obviously I knew she was a transsexual before the gig and at no point was I admiring her/his curvaceous figure…ho ho.
The rest of the band sport black tshirts with a Greek head and the word “Banjee” in large white letters (apparently a Banjee is a kind of buff urban hip hop style gay… think 50 cent if his “Candy Shop” only stocked chocolate willies.

Perversely they start with the piano led album closer “True/False” and over the coarse of this and “Blind” B-side “Shadows” it becomes clear that despite Nomi’s fine voice and dominating presence the rel stars are to her right. The two guys on brass or “My horny men on brass” as Butler calls them are simply phenomenal. Before the gig I’d thought the band might be a little weak live, but would be rescued by the presence and voice of Hegarty, but it unfolds that Anthonys absence is more than made up for by the live band and the horns in particular. Track after track outdoes its recorded counterpart, songs that appeared weaker on record transform into complete belters live. Its simply the clearest, brightest and most urgent brass sound Ive heard in a long long time! Stunning.

Some reviewers focused on the albums obvious reverence to late 80’s dance and 70’s disco, ignoring the sheer depth of musicianship and songwriting on display. “Blind” i clearly one of the anthems of this year, but its disco stomp is topped off with a dose of masterful lyrical melancoly. Nomi may strike a note of hope when she sings “When I was a child I knew, That the stars could only get brighter‘ but its the crushed idealism of the next lines that make the song.. “Now that I’m older, the stars should light up my face… But when I find myself alone, I feel like I am blind‘. Again the brass that sounded thin on record explodes live taking the song to another level.

One of the albums other highlights, the glorious Hegarty penned “Raise Me Up” kicks off a killer three song section, although to my mind Kim Ann doesn’t quite do the song justice. That’s followed by an inspired take on the Blue Oyster Cults “Don’t Fear The Reaper“, covered by the Beautiful South a few years ago, who knew it could be so effortlessly transported to the Paradise Garage!?   Finally the song that first put me under H&LA’s spell way back in March 07, “Classique#2“:
“The opening thud thud of the 4:4 house drum, a burbling acid bassline, snatches of twisted vocal samples and I’m in heaven. Even better god’s thrown some classic Chicago house on the turntable.”

Nomi exits for a wardrobe change, returning looking pretty in a bright pink number for her duet with Anthony, “You Belong“. With the crowd baying for more its time to say “Bye-Za Minnelli” with one encore. The album’s littered with Butlers fascination with Greek mythology and closer “Hercules Theme” was by all accounts imagined as a chorus of women singing to Hercules. Its a fine end to the show, with the brass section given space and time to astound yet again.

And so its time to depart back into rainy London, exiting you nearly bump into the ordinary grey suited, maybe married men darting out of doorways, avoiding eye contact as their sweaty palms stuff paper bag covered copies of Barely Legal 17 into executive briefcases. A reminder perhaps that not all in the great gamut of human sexuality is as glamorous or as enriching as Hercules & Love Affair.

Setlist:

True/False
Shadows
I’m Telling You
Blind
Athene
Raise Me Up
Don’t Fear The Reaper
Classique (Change!!)
You Belong
Hercules Theme

Hercules & Love Affair - Myspace / Website

Listen:
Hercules & Love Affair - “Raise Me Up (feat. Anthony Hegarty)” (MP3)
Free download of “Hercules Theme” available on official site
Andy Butler guesting on Beats In Space - MP3 / Subscribe to beatsinspace

Buy:
Hercules & Love Affair - “Hercules & Love Affair” - Amazon / Loads of other sites + itunes exclusive track

Look/Watch:

My pics from Soho Revue gig
Brilliant pics and video’s from their first show (Stereogum)
BrooklynVegan has some fantastic pics of another gig

Hercules & Love Affair - “Blind” - Youtube / Making of vid

Andy Butler talks through the album track by track (below)

Read:

Red Haired Queer sacrilegiously suggests Nomi out-sung Anthony in Soho
This Is London’s review of Soho revue gig
Londonpreppy was there too
Sounds like the Heaven gig two nights later didnt go so well? - lastfm / dis
Musicohm interview with Andy Butler

COMPETITION TIME

Analogue Bye Bye returns with a rare competition to mark Epic’s remastered reissue of seven Sly & The Family Stone albums. They came out last year with 5 or so bonus tracks on each LP, but Amazon just had them on sale at less than a fiver each! In my overexcited state my purchasing finger was - like Sly himself in the very funny clip above - totally out of control and apparently I bought two of “Theres a Riot Goin’ On“.  So theres an obvious competition prize.

Leave a comment or email to win my spare copy of one of the all time classics (including 4 bonus tracks). The winner will be decided by a fair but totally random method which I’m yet to make up.

Here’s a selection of some of the absolutly incredible music to be found on all seven LP’s. Essential purchases, especially at such bargain prices (the original boxset was 65 quid!).

Sly & The Family Stone - “Dance To The Medley” (MP3)
Sly & The Family Stone - “Time” (MP3)
Sly & The Family Stone - “Positive (Instrumental)” (MP3)

COLDCUT SOLID STEEL

Another rumage through my box of old Solid Steel’s finds shows from the first two months of ‘92.  Theres no faking the funk with Fred Wesley, The Brides Of Funkenstein, Funkadelic and one of my all-time favourite Bootsy Collins tracks.  Fantastically titled, “Munchies for your love” is packed with Bootsy’s trademark bass, chanted backing vocals, all topped off with Mr Collins in full on lothrio mode “hot for your chocolate love!”

Coldcut are in the mix for “Toast N Jam” a reggae/ragga selection featuring fu-snickens, Apache Indian, and Shabba. There are two more mixes in February 92’s show, “Hi Tech Skank” features KT & Hex along with Criminal Minds, while “Future Be-Bop” goes for the funky hip trip hop with DJ Food and Jungle Brothers who’ve always “Got It Like That“.

Lisa Stansfield was doing credible white soul two decades before Winehouse first picked up a crack pipe. As part of Blue Zone tracks like “Big Thing” became Warehouse party favourites, leading Coldcut to sign her up for their pop smash “People Hold On“.  “Time To Make You Mine“, taken from her debut solo album, was treated to a dubbed out blissful remake courtesy of The Orb’s Alex Paterson.

I’ve also included Megauploads of two previously posted shows (I think? I lost track to be honest).  Nikki Giovanni’s “Ego Trippin” (lyrics) is a glorious slice of Afrocentric poetry, with Nikki proclaiming:
“On a trip north I caught a cold and blew my nose
giving oil to the Arab world
I am so hip - even my errors are correct”

Finally its the original version of “Television” by industrial punks The Beatnigs, as reworked by The Disposable Heroes Of HipHopcrisy (featured in an earlier Analogue Bye Bye).

Bootsy Collins - “Munchies For Your Love” (MP3)
Nikki Giovanni - “Ego Trippin” (MP3)
The Beatnigs - “Television (Remix)” (MP3)
Lisa Stansfield - “Time To Make You Mine (The Orb remix)” (MP3)

Coldcut - “Solid Steel ??/01/92 (Tape 7)” (MP3) 1hr 50
Coldcut - “Solid Steel ??/02/92 (Tape 10)“ (MP3) 1hr 51
Coldcut - “Solid Steel 08/02/92 (Tape ” (MP3 - Megaupload click, dont right click) 1hr 50
Coldcut - “Solid Steel ??/02/92 (Tape 9)” (MP3 - Megaupload click, dont right click) 1hr 13

Check out the Solid Steel site for new shows, and Bosbos.net for more official trips into the archive (every post so far is a classic).

This is probably old to everyone, but I’d not seen “I Met The Walrus“, the beautiful Oscar nominated animation of teenagers conversation with John Lennon.  Back in 1969, a tenacious 14 year old from Toronto heard whispers that John Lennon had just flown in, and managed to not only find his hotel, but also knock on the door and ask if he could interview the star.
Almost 30 years later and the 40 minute interview was edited down to 5 minutes, and enhanced with some absolutly beautiful animation. Wonderful.

To really appreciate the animation watch or download the .mov trailer, the detail is incredible, and doesnt quite come across in the slightly blurry youtube.

JAY BHARADIA

“Hi music like dirt people
I saw that I made the top 100 of your tracks of ‘07
I have attached a link below to the new single”.

Speaking as the music like dirt people can I say its a pleasure to hear some new material from Jay Bharadia. As Jay said his Snowy Day track was one of my favourite’s from last year, and if “Crocodile17” is anything to go by his new material more than meets expectations. Plus everyone loves a bit of big foot footage!

Jay Bharadia - “Crocodile 17” (MP3)
Jay Bharadia - Yeticave.co.uk / Visit Myspace for tons of free downloads
Watch secret Yeti footage! (otherwise known as a trailer for the Snowy Day video) (YouTube)
Buy The Yeti Cave

THE HISTORY OF SAMPLING

Using information from the website of choice for sampling trainspotters The-Breaks.com, Jesse Kriss has created a interactive history of sampling. On the top are albums that sample, click one and all the samples usedflash up. Down the bottom are tracks that have been plundered, click them and all the music to have used that song chows up. Simple, yet brilliant.

Visit Jesse Kriss’s brilliant history of sampling project (recomneded)

PLEASE MR POSTMAN SEND ME SOME TASTY MIXES

The last mix Kelpe sent me back in March put a lovely big dent in my bandwidth as people greedily gorged themselves on its lushness. So for all that loved that one, here’s another originally created for compost.fm, but well worth a wider airing.

Kelpe - “Compost fm mix” (MP3) - Yousend it link click - don’t right click
Buy Kelpe’s LP here / Kelpe myspace

Talking of radio sessions, DJ Wrong Tom recently guested on Jonny Reggae’s show and brought along his finest Brit-punk-disco classics. I’m half way through “Dumb Down The Disco” as I type, and when it finishes it’s going right back to the top. In fact I can safely say, this will be the soundtrack to the window sanding I’ll be doing this afternoon when I stop trying to avoid doing it by blogging! Nothing like a bit of angular aggressive guitar to get that paint off.

Dj Wrongtom “Dumb Down The Disco” (MP3) - Yousendit link - Click (dont right click)
DJ Wrongtom Myspace

1. Glaxo Babies/Dj Wrongtom “Wrongtom Meets The Disco Dinosaurs”
2. The Clash “Radio Edit (Wrongtom’s Disco Dub)”
3. Rip Rig And Panic “Take A Don Key To Mystery”
4. Coco Beware “Tropical Depression”
5. Fad Gadget “Make Room”
6. Public Image Limited “Death Disco (Live In Tokyo)”
7. Orange Juice “Lord John White And The Bottleneck Train”
8. Pig Bag “Getting Up”
9. Boots For Dancing “Hypnotize”
10. Return Of The Panthers “Crown Of Thorns (Wrongtom’s Disco Dub)”
11. Au Pairs “Shakedown”
12. Blank Students “I Want To Be Happy”
13. Phil Daniels + The Cross “Kill Another Night”
14. The Beat “Too Nice To Talk To”
15. Penetration “Movement (Wrongtom’s Disco Dub)”

AND FINALLY…

Leaving probably the best till last Buddy Peace has a new mix CD out called “Wolf Diesel Mountain“.  It’s one of those mixes where the term mix doesn’t suffice, its an opus, a labour of love.

‘Wolf Diesel Mountain’ is a monster fed on the bones of all that have gone before it. This is a mix that is complex and diverse - slices and selections of nearly 100 tracks in under an hour. Samples are chopped, beats are re-programmed and tracks are fully remixed - without ever falling into the common trap of mixes that veer off on tangents to show off the DJ’s record collection.

Buy the album here - featuring everyone from Mobb Deep to Beck and Tom Waits.

Check out the original mix sources in this superb podcast put together for the people at 3 Bar Fire.
Buddy Peace - “Wolf Diesel Mountain (Deer Blood Falls Podcast)” (MP3) Click - don’t right click
Buddy Peace Myspace

“Think of this MP3 as a first glimpse of a glass dorsal fin approaching in the water, then holler Brody like “We’re gonna need a bigger boat!”.”

It was late 2006 when Glass Shark first featured on this blog causing me to exhaust all my nautical fish related puns in one over excited froth of enthusiasm. “Clap your hands, say hit“, “will exercise your grin like an idiot muscles as well as those required to shake your ass“.

You could say I was impressed, even going so far as to jokingly ponder if this was the new LCD Soundsystem LP sneakily released under a pseudonym.  Dancefloor mayhem and immediate stardom seemed guaranteed but the Shark seemed unwilling to venture outside of their native Cornwall. A regular check of their myspace revealed the Glass Shark 2006/2007 tour consisted of playing a different Cornish venue 365 nights a year, with no room for a even a solitary trip elsewhere.
Now after 2 years of constant gigging and perfecting their live show, Glass Shark are ready! So watch out world the Shark are on the move, venturing into warmer waters, and like that big rubber fish visiting Antiga Bay in Jaws 4: The Revenge they’ll probably eat your helicopter, dancefloor and for good measure Michael Caine.

They say good things are worth waiting for and boy did we wait, with the support acts intent on upping the anticipation levels by playing endless sets. 10.30 came and went, and to my silent despair they declared “we’re going to play a couple more“! With only the Championship Play Off Semifinal on the pub tv to distract me it was 11pm before Tam hurriedly took to the drum kit announcing “Phew I’m exhausted, I feel like I’ve played a gig already“… perhaps they’re ardent Bristol City supporters!?

Word has spread of the mightiness of the Shark, with a gaggle of Shark-ettes on their feet dancing from the second the first drum beat hit, disappointingly none were dressed as Disco robots (pics here). During the wait I’d also found my own fan - of a less welcome kind - in the form of a very drunk middle aged Irish man who rambled incoherently while swaying and covering my face in spittle as I waited for Glass Shark to take to the stage.

Shamefully I only had opener “I Love my Disco Robot” as the 54th finest song of 2006, it should have been much higher, but what a way to start a show! The awesome bass slaps, clattering drums, “on and on and on” chorus, and singer Tam out James Murphying James Murphy as he spat “You, are a terrible dancer, with your arms everywhere…. you look so hottt!!“.  After 2 years waiting to see Glass Shark on stage, cooly clad in all black with pink ties - like The Hives doing a breast cancer awareness gig - I should have been in seventh heaven, but while most saw the track as an instruction to dance, my new found drunken pal chose the moment to lean forward and inform me “you have a lovely smile!!“  I checked if he liked my scowl as much then resorted to intently staring through him at the band.

My recollection of the exact setlist was slightly marred by my new found status as a drunken gay Irish man magnet, especially as he followed up his chat up line with the more direct approach of touching my knees during the second track. Thankfully, and they should put this on their press releases, Glass Shark are so damn good even being touched up by a drunken Irishman wont spoil your evening!!

Oscar Nominations are all well and good, but I’m sure Toni Collette would be far more honoured to discover she now has a song in her name. Not everyone can claim to have inspired a chorus as genius as “Make It Wet, Make It Wet, Like Toni Collette“.  With vocoda vocals, lines about drinking and screwing, and Jimmy Green going crazy on the cowbells, it sounds - as do half a dozen Glass Shark tracks - like a smash hit.

With a small but very happy audience either dancing or playing air cow bell, the Shark stormed through other gems such as “You Got Served Again” and “Take It Off“. The latters refrain of “Do It, Do It, Just Dance, Dont’ Don’t Dance” possibly going down the best of all aired on the evening.

Often bands with a drummer doubling as the lead singer suffer from the lack of a focused front man, but Glass Shark just about pull it off due to the sheer energy of Tam Johnstone on drums and vocals.

The only down side of the evening was the shortness of the set, due probably to the extended support acts. “Have we got time for one more” pleaded Tam to a bar manager who was having none of it. No room for the brilliant “Clap Your Hands” or any of the rumoured random cover versions of The Police or Pink Floyd talked about in other reviews.

Fortunately Tommy Flynn’s recognise a good thing when they see it and have invited Glass Shark to bring their “Disco” night back for a residency. As they posted on their facebook “We have returned triumphant from Camden“, Glass Shark are set for many more triumphs across the country. Visit their myspace, add them on facebook, download and buy the tracks, but most of all GO SEE THEM LIVE!

Glass Shark
Glassshark.com / Myspace / Facebook

Listen:
Glass Shark - “I Love My Disco Robot (edit)” (MP3)
Glass Shark - “Toni Collette (Shark Attack mix)” (MP3)
David Bowie - “Rebel Rebel (Shark Attack mix)” (MP3)
Visit the Glass Shark downloads page for a free download of the entire first EP!
Shark Attack downloads for more Shark Attack remixes, demo versions…
Glass Shark DISCO mixes for free here and even more on the DISCO myspace

Buy:
Puregroove still have copies of the Glass Sharp “First EP”

Watch:
Glass Shark - “I Love My Disco Robot”

Look:
Glass Shark @ Tommy Flynns (Flickr set)

The obscenly talented Tam also has another band “The General Store” generating feverish press with a sound that couldnt be further removed from the guitar disco of Glass Shark.  “Very highly recommended” by Rolling Stone Magazine, “The Best West Coast Pop Record in decades” said Popmatters while Tam describes the sound as being inspired by Neil Young, The Byrds and The Beatles.

The General Store - Myspace
Buy The General Store LP

A quick post to go with a May mix from music like dirt’s sister site, Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This Before (actually my brothers blog, but brother site doesnt sound right).

I’ve a few gig reviews, an Analogue Bye Bye and the return of “Listen To This“ coming soon but for today enjoy a The Wire / The Corner influenced choice of tracks courtesy of Stop Me.

Stop Me - “May Mix” (MP3)

Tracklist:

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm Instrumental / The Corner - “We doin’ it to ourselves…”
Immortal Technique - The 4th Branch
Jel - To Buy A Car
Manic Street Preachers - I’m Just A Patsy
The Indelicates - We Hate The Kids
Taggy Matcher - Rapoors Delaught (Dub Instrumental) / The Wire - “Hey Mr Nugget, you the bomb…”
Cake - Nugget
Reggie Ray - What About You?
Radiohead - Bangers + Mash
The Corner - “He was never gonna be who he was…”