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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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…
Introducing an oddly numbered series of tunes that you might know or do have or have heard before or wrote……..so, after that triumphant parp…..
Louis Armstrong, the balloon faced pencil legged child, created the dark and sinister tune St James Infirmary in a hand clapping response to watching the hit 80’s sitcom St Elsewhere. St. Elsewhere dealt mostly with trying to stop Bill Cosby’s jumpers appearing and the some other ill stuff (ill meaning being ill but also ill meaning ill).
After several woolen displays a slowly tired and insect ridden Louis tooted this amazing tune….
Not to be confused with the Birdie song, as that is some hype that cannot be lived up to. This tune is named such after the bird that chirps in with its own tune during the first few seconds, which is arguably much better. The track features acoustic guitar with some reverb and delay added in Ableton Live, some ahem mad keyboard skillz (note the ‘z’ which makes it roughly 15% better than normal skills), and some midi pad drumming. The midi pad drumming is still in its infancy so the kick and snare had to be forced into place, but the hi-hats, those bad boys are 100% live. This bird was cooked in an extremely hot Amsterdam apartment for about 30 mins (no basting required).
This is the original version of Gonch, recorded by Dazed in the Foyer. This rambling, ramshackle groove sees Dazed scaling the highest peaks whilst plumbing the deepest depths. It is believed that the tune was taken from an secret Buddhist chant that was smuggled out of Chinese occupied Tibet. Dazed were honoured as its only guardians and carried from the Himalayas to safety in a smugglers caves hidden in the rugged north east coast of Scotland, where it lay until being reborn as 5 minutes 59 seconds of pure nirvanic ommmfunk. Others maintain that it was the Grange Hill theme tune gone wrong, but they have all since been sectioned.
“The first mix is “Twiss Up” - featuring a bunch of obscure Dub tunes that you will love. We’ve loaded up the chamber with dubbed-out 80s arcade fx and lazers and digital bombs, which really help bring the soundsystem vibe to the mix. Twiss Up goes into some obscure Jamaican funk later on in the mix - featuring two tunes from a record called Prime Cuts. Then its back into Dub. Good stuff. The second mix “Be Thankful” is a more rootsier dub, deejay and early dancehall-oriented mix. Both are excellent mixes and won’t dissapoint!”
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.”
