“Same damn ‘lo sweater”

Heavenly Wu by monkeycrumbs

New noise made with new toys!
Sair Fecht by monkeycrumbs

Stones Throw continue their mission to cover all genres – and do it better than everyone else as usual, check out Mr Chop, Koushik or their label off shoot Now-Again Records for examples of their non hip hop output - with this random bloke.

No idea where he came from but this is incredible.  Killer drums (recognise the sample?) underneath a sublimely sweet ballad and falsetto yelping. 

Limited to 1,000 copies and printed on a very cool heart-shaped 7”.

Mayer Hawthorne

Mayer Hawthorne – You Tube  

According to the all powerful gospel of knowledge Wikipedia Neofolk is “a form of folk music-inspired experimental music that emerged from post-industrial music circles.”

Bon Iver is the new golden boy of these wailing geetar types, maybe not fitting into the exact same category but Espers, Iron and Wine and Cocteau Twins will pop into the head when listening to this album. Mr Iver decided to live in the woods for a considerable period to cry about something. There is an episode of Seinfeld where Kramer renounces modern life and becomes a ‘wild man of the woods’, attempting to reconcile his love of creature comforts like hot tubs and vintage clothing for a new life of nuts, berries and loin cloths. Bon Iver has done pretty much the same thing but with decidedly less humourous results.

This is good news for us though. His self-imposed hibernation, tree chopping, eating his own smell and foraging have produced a beauty of an album, although he does play on the prince of pain part a wee bit too much. Scuffed, confessional acoustic laments are the order of the day, shot through with doe-eyed soul and lo-fidelity.

Bon Iver – Skinny Love 

The 4th in the Dang in Dub series is out, Mr Trick gives his favourite 45s the dub treatment in his conquering ‘Every Spoil is A Style‘ which is now available from Rhythm Incursions. This is class and Trick also gives a nice write up of each track and the effects used. I also enjoyed Wrongtoms Dang in Digital but for me Analogue is King here.

Tracklisting:

1. Joe Higgs – Journey To Freedom

2. Linval Thompson – Black Princess Lady

3. Bob Marley & Lee Perry – Shocks Almighty

4. Big Youth – unknown

5. Junior Ross and The Spears – Jah Jah Say

6. Upsetters – Dub In The Backseat

7. Johnny Clarke – Play Fool

8. Horace Andy – Quiet Place Dub

9. Knowledge – Centry

10. Brent Dowe – Righteous Works

11. Linval Thompson – Tell Me

12. Prince Allah – Bosrah Dub Plate Mix

13. Gatherers – Words Of My Mouth

14. Jackie Mittoo – Wall Street

15. Big Youth – Money In My Pocket

16. Jah Lloyd – Clocktower Station

17. Johnny Clarke – Blood Danza

18. Errol Thompson & Joe Gibbs – Chapter Three

Steve Mason has cast off his King Biscuit Time persona and come back (albeit about a year or two ago) as Black Affair in a retro-electro-fetish stylee. The album Pleasure Pressure Point has been a couple of years in the making and should be out this month. Also available is Masons mixtape (electro, early house/rave) of the tunes that inspired his sound for this incarnation over at olo radio, in a not too dissimilar fashion from Boombips mix (electronic, disco, pop) that inspired his and Gruffs NeonNeon.

Black Affair Mixtape:

Die Weltraumforsc – Gravity
Playgroup – Haphazard
Jeans Team – Non-stop
Art Of Noise – Beat Box
John Cooper Clarke – Conditional Discharge
Happy Mondays – Oasis
Skyy – Call Me
Yello – I Love You
Depeche Mode – Photographic
Tuesday – No Love In NYC
Rob Base – It Takes Two
808 State – 8080808
Sub Sub – Space Face

NeonNeon Mixtape:

Neon Neon – “Theme Song”
Goblin – “Tenebre”
Neil Young – “Sample and Hold”
Paul McCartney – “Temporary Secretary”
Kraftwerk – “Numbers (Wicked Mix)”
Tears for Fears – “Mother’s Talk”
Neon Neon – “Raquel (Extended Mix)”
Debbie Gibson – “Only In My Dreams (Extended Club Mix)”
Janet Jackson – “Pleasure Pricipal (Eli Edit)”
Prince – “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man”
Neon Neon – “Fuckin’ Off Cover (Outtake)”

Dr John, who isn’t a qualified doctor despite his claims and published papers, once described himself as simply “fonky” and this tune can lay claim to that title too. Styles of Beyond are a group who have been ridiculously, and strangely, overlooked despite several classic 12’s and an immense debut. Their first album released in 1997 – 2000 Fold – was in the past but strangely from the future so people may catch on soon and it is well worth hunting down.

In 2003 ‘Mr Brown’ samples the track of the same name by Bob Marley (sadly minus the Lee Perry dub! efkt) so no amazingly rare samples here but just some nice “fonky” beats a’la People Under The Stairs & early (good) Pharcyde.

Styles of Beyond – Mr Brown:

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Two of my favourite mixes of recent times have been The Day the Earth Stood Still and The Road to Oblivion, both of which are by Dj Pain. The first samples extensively from the film of the same name about an Alien coming to Earth to warn human folks to wise up with the bombing and killing, and the second features samples from films about Nuclear holocaust such as The Day After and Wargames (you gotta love Wargames samples). The beats are suitably dark and atmospheric with peeps such as Blue Sky Black Death, Controller7, Elektro4 and Sixtoo in the mix. Now Pain is back with a third installment HDP over at Rhythm Incursions which features more Sci-Fi sampleage now with added Malcolm Catto drum goodness (and if anyone can tell me whats the tune that starts at 36.10 and has the young skinhead yapping over it I’d like to know cause its doing me nut in).

Update

Sherlock “groove” Holmes ain’t got nothing on me! The tune turns out to be a Dj Signify remix of Belle & Sebastian’s ‘Space Boy Dream’ which features  on Joe Beats ‘Indie Rock Blues‘.  Elementary Dear Watson, now how can I get a copy on vinyl…