Let Everything Flow

Just let it all wash over you, with this 50-minute mix of mellow sounds.

Pye Corner Audio get things flowing with the opening and title track of Lake Deep Memory, an album inspired by Martin Jenkins' trip to Lake Atitlan in Guatemala in 2024. Ostensibly there to play a festival, it clearly left a lasting impression, as evidenced in this immersive piece of music..

Still Water 2 was released in July 2025, the seventh in Richard Norris' Music For Healing: Oceans series, which he accurately describes as "a balm for the soul". The slow, gentle piano plinks are gorgeous.

If you think you know The Woodentops, think again. Rolo McGinty can pretty much turn his hand to anything, musically speaking, including this tribute to the river Thames, released last month. The full-length version clocks in at nearly 16 minutes; I've included just over half here, to encourage you to get yourself over to Bandcamp and buy it.

Zi Lan Liao is married to Jah Wobble and when her harp met his bass, magic happened. I discovered an extract of 34-minute suite The River from 1998 on the superlative Jah Wobble compilation I Could Have Been A Contender in 2004. Even in truncated form, the epic scale of the music is not diminished.

Who else to follow this than Kate Bush? Lake Tahoe is from her (to date) last album of original material, and one of her longest songs, nudging over the 11-minute mark. Piano, an angelic duet and a lead voice steeped in a lifetime of stories, both lived and discovered, all in perfect harmony as Kate recounts the tale of a Victorian woman who fell into Lake Tahoe, only to rise as a spirit.

Have a beautiful Sunday.

1) Lake Deep Memory: Pye Corner Audio (2025)

2) Still Water 2: Richard Norris (2025)

3) T H A M E S: The Woodentops (2026)

4) The River: Jah Wobble presents Zi Lan Liao (1998)

5) Lake Tahoe: Kate Bush ft. Stefan Roberts & Michael Wood (2011)

2004: I Could Have Been A Contender: Anthology: 4

2011: 50 Words For Snow: 5

2025: Lake Deep Memory: 1

2025: Music For Healing: Oceans 7: 2

2026: T H A M E S EP: 3

Let Everything Flow (50:49) (GD) (M)

Youth Is Wasted On The Young

Youth aka Martin Glover could never be accused of slacking off. Since picking up a bass and co-founding Killing Joke, he's been a constant in my musical consciousness since the 1980s and shows no sign of slowing down in 2026.

Youth's CV includes production, collaboration, "supervision" and remix credits for artists ranging from Tom Jones to The Irresistible Force, Transglobal Underground to Cast, Du Blonde to Crowded House, The Orb to Shack and back again.

This ten-track, hour-long selection is rooted in the early 1990s, occasionally branches out into the 21st century and features some of my favourite reworks.

There's the Led Zeppelin-sampling cavernous boom of Björk's old band The Sugarcubes, with late period classic VItamin. 

This is preceded by a mighty dub of Killing Joke circa 1994, when the original line-up not only reformed but dove even deeper into the dub oceans they had previously explored a decade and a half before.

The remixes of Walking On Air by Frazier Chorus were a game changer, and I would have loved to have heard what Youth would have done if let loose on the entire album Ray, not just a couple of songs.

And Natacha Atlas' breathtaking ululations find a perfect complement in Youth's remix of Yalla Chant, which cropped up on a disproportionate number of my mixtapes in the mid-late 1990s.

Not that the remainder are any less of an experience, whether it's teaching old Goths new tricks (Peter Murphy, The Mission), flirting with pop (The Art Of Noise, P.M. Dawn) or going toe-to-toe with legends (Bim Sherman, Jah Wobble). Youth takes it all in his pace, weighted down with plenty of bass.

1) The Art Of Slow Love (Remix By Youth): The Art Of Noise (1991)

2) A Watcher's Point Of View (Don't 'Cha Think) (Youth Extended Mix): P.M. Dawn (1991)

3) Freaks Of Nature (Natural Dub Mix By Youth & Ott): Dub Trees ft. Bim Sherman (2000)

4) I Am My Own Name (Youth Remix): Peter Murphy (2015)

5) Another Cult Goes Down (Portobello Mix By Youth & Greg Hunter): Killing Joke (1994)

6) Vitamin (Babylon's Burnin) (Remix By Youth): The Sugarcubes (1992)

7) Tower Of Strength (Lysergic Dub) (Remix By Youth): The Mission (1994)

8) Walking On Air (Dub Instrumental) (Remixed By Youth): Frazier Chorus (1990)

9) Inspector Out Of Space: Youth Meets Jah Wobble ft. Rhiannon Sharkey (2020)

10) Yalla Chant (The Lesson Four Remix By Youth): Natacha Atlas (1995)

1990: Ray/The Baby Album (ltd 2x CD): 8

1991: A Watcher's Point Of View (Don't 'Cha Think) EP: 2

1991: The FON Mixes: 1

1992: Vitamin EP: 6

1994: Exorcism EP: 5

1994: Tower Of Strength EP: 7

1995: Yalla Chant EP: 10

2000: Nature Never Did Betray the Heart That Loved Her: 3

2015: Remixes From Lion: 4

2020: Acid Punk Dub Apocalypse: 9

Youth Is Wasted On The Young (1:00:07) (GD) (M)

Desperate To Disappear And Still Be Someone

Continuing with the A-Z of artist releases from 2025 that I haven't yet bought, but are on the shopping (long) list for this Bandcamp Friday.

Yesterday covered A to F; today, it's my picks of artists from G to M, specifically

Gwenno remixed by Cornelius

Horizontals aka Leo Zero

Ibibio Sound Machine

Jah Wobble

KLOUDs

Little Annie & Baby Dee ft. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy

MAN2.0 remixed by Tronik Youth

Gwenno's fourth album Utopia came out in July, her first predominantly in English, with previous albums in Welsh or Cornish. What's not changed is Gwenno's way with a song and this carries through into the Utopia Remixes EP, released last week. Versions by QUINQUIS and Stone Club both recommended, but I've opted here for the unexpected and delightful remix from Japanese legend Cornelius. 

Leo Zero has been a busy man this year and it's been hard to keep up with everything he's put out there, including two excellent EPs as Junk System (there's a third to come), 20-track disco monster Nebulon Systems Vol. 1, plus a ton of edits, remixes and one-offs.

Wild Light by Horizontals is Leo's ambient/balearic project, 10 tracks of on-the-nose bliss, including this one. 

I was a bit slow on the uptake with Ibibio Sound Machine, but I'm now all in, so the arrival last week of a new EP, Anyone Like You, is very good news indeed. In addition to three versions of the title song is the "cosmic funk" of Jagaban, featured here. The title is from Hausa, a widely spoken language in Nigeria, and translates as "leader of warriors". 

When Jah Wobble drops an album called Dub Volume One, you know what you're going to get, and you know it's going to be great. And of course it is.

Written, performed, and recorded entirely solo by Jah Wobble, mastered by Anthony Chapman (Collapsed Lung) and issued on Dimple Discs, the indie label founded in 2018 by Damian O'Neill (The Undertones, That Petrol Emotion) and Brian O'Neill (not related).

I could have chosen any of the eight tracks, opting here for the wonderfully titled Tragic Slav Dub.

KLOUDs is a collaboration between Ukrainian-born Sam Levin aka Zullah, and Israel's Itay Menashe aka Fistuk. I can't say that I've heard of either of them, but I really like this 2-track single, pairing PALMS and Côte D'Ivoire. Released in August on the Stereo MC's label called - what else? - Connected, it's a welcome ray of sunshine and recollection of summer in this damp, dark English winter.

I have loved Little Annie, since I first discovered her music in the early 1990s, courtesy of Adrian Sherwood / ON-U Sound. As the title suggests, With is an 8-song collection of 21st century collaborations with like-minded artists. 

The album opens with a rousing 2008 live version of Yesterday When I Was Young with Marc Almond and ends with Some Things We Do, from Swans' 2014 album To Be Kind. Included in between are team ups with Coil, Kid Congo Powers, Paul Wallfisch and Larsen.

I've gone for State Of Grace, the title track of the 2012 album by Little Annie & Baby Dee, featuring Bonnie "Prince" Billy.

Last but not least is MAN2.0's latest, on the ever dependable NEIN Records label. I'm a big fan of MAN2.0's previous music and mixes and this 5-track EP from July offers up two versions of CTRL ALT DEL (with Precious Blood) and three of Nightmare Walking.

All five tracks mean business, including this stunning remix by NEIN label boss Tronik Youth.

More tomorrow.

Wob Almighty

Any day is a good day to listen to Jah Wobble, so here's a fresh 75-minute Dubhed selection of 12 songs that have been touched by the hand of Wob.

Spanning 1991 to 2002, this is a globe-trotting expedition taking in artists from Australia, Brazil, Jamaica, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, with frequent rest stops in blighted Blighty.

Turn up the bass, dial up the volume and prepare to immerse yourself in an eclectic mix, including a UK #1 single!

As it's Friday, I've reposted more Jah Wobble wonderment, including a previous Wob-heavy Dubhed selection from 2022.

1) Paths (Jah Wobble Remix): Robert Miles ft. Nina Miranda (2001)

2) Chains (Wobble Mix By Jah Wobble): The Wolfgang Press (1994)

3) Familus Horribilus (Mega Wob 2) (Remix By Jah Wobble): Pop Will Eat Itself (1993)

4) Go Into The Light (Celestial Dub Mix By Jah Wobble): Ian McNabb (1993)

5) Kiss Kiss (Jah Wobble Remix) (Single Version): Holly Valance (2002)

6) Night Nurse (Jah Wobble 12" Mix) (Cover of Gregory Isaacs): Sly & Robbie ft. Simply Red (1997)

7) Child (Jah Wobble Mix): Definition Of Sound (1996)

8) So Let Me Go Far (So Let Me Wobble Jah) (Remix By Jah Wobble): Dodgy (1994)

9) Texture (Remixed By Jah Wobble): Soft Ballet (1992)

10) Liquid Cool (Jah Wobble Remix): Apollo 440 (1994)

11) Chinatown New York (Wobble Mix By Jah Wobble): Bebop 90 (1991)

12) Ĉuovgi Liekkas (Jah Wobble Remix II): Mari Boine (2001)

1991: Fuse II: World Dance Music: 11

1992: Alter Ego: 9

1993: Familus Horribilus / RSVP EP: 3

1993: Go Into The Light EP: 4

1994: Going South EP: 2

1994: Liquid Cool EP: 10

1994: So Let Me Go Far EP: 8

1996: Child EP: 7

1997: Night Nurse EP: 6

2001: Paths EP: 1

2001: Remixed / Oðða Hámis: 12

2002: Kiss Kiss EP: 5

Wob Almighty (1:14:49) (GD) (M)

In Wob We Trust (January 2022)

Wob Three Times (August 2023)

Kicking Down The Khazi (December 2023)

25 For 25, Part One

As far as I'm concerned, 2025 has been a great year for new music, some long-term favourites returning with new albums, others discovered for the first time. 

In fact, I struggled to come up with a single 45-minute selection, so sod it. I did two. More by accident than design, the second one came in at 13 songs which, added to this dozen, conveniently delivers 25 highlights from 2025. So far.

I'm going to hold onto Side Two until next Sunday. In the meantime, surround yourself with some wonderful songs from some wonderful albums (and two singles).

1) Patient Has Own Supply: Constant Follower (The Smile You Send Out Returns To You)

2) Dating A Model: Emily Breeze (Rats In Paradise)

3) The Blue: Mumble Tide (Might As Well Play Another One)

4) Who This World Is Made For. (Mindful Edit): Ellen Beth Abdi (Ellen Beth Abdi)

5) Burning Bridges: The Cowboy Mouth (Faultlines)

6) have you ever had a broken heart? (Album Version): senses (all the heavens)

7) Old Oak Road (2025 Mix): Mike Smalle ft. Cathal Coughlan & Jah Wobble (Ghosts EP)

8) 1st World Blues: Bright Eyes (1st World Blues EP)

9) Signs: Olafur Arnalds / Talos (A Dawning)

10) You Know It Ain't Right: Pearl Charles (Desert Queen)

11) Good To Cry: Robert Forster (Strawberries)

12) I Materialize: Destroyer (Dan's Boogie)

Side One (45:29) (GD) (M)

L'art De La Discothèque, Volume 2

A 90 minute revision class in the art of the remix, courtesy of François Kevorkian.

When compiling yesterday's "Volume 1", I'd used half of my shortlist of 24 songs. More by luck than planning, the remaining 12 also clocked in at an hour and a half, so sequencing a "Volume 2" seemed a no-brainer.

This selection has a tighter time period, focusing on 1983 to 2000, but no less a collection of top tunes for that. 

From this century (just), there are 9-minute mixes of Bent and Moloko, featuring the vocal talents of Zoё Johnston and Róisín Murphy respectively. From the 1990s, Soho and Yellow Magic Orchestra. The rest are from the 1980s, points along the spectrum including Cabaret Voltaire, Scritti Politti and That Petrol Emotion. 

Perhaps a surprise for some, but even Lou Reed and King Crimson got in on the extended 12" remix lark back in the day. Not sure how often these vinyl platters were tearing up dancefloors across the globe, but François Kevorkian does a good job with both.

More a production than a remix, Snake Charmer was the opening and title track of a 5-track EP/mini-album by Jah Wobble, The Edge and Holger Czukay in 1983.

Ol' Dave Evans pops up twice here, reuniting with his regular workmates in U2 for an FK remix of Wire the following year. This track originally appeared on the NME Readers' Poll Winners '84, a cover-mounted freebie 7" EP. And being the Celtic Dub Mix, those of you with allergies can rest assured that this version of Wire contains approx. 65% less Bono Vox.

Combined, the two volumes represent a fraction of François Kevorkian's prodigious output since an uncredited 12" remix of Happy Song by Rare Earth in 1975. 

It's inevitable that a Kevorkian remix will crop up on pretty much every 1980s 12" mix selection that I compile from here on, but I will come back to a bespoke FK mixtape or two in the future.

For now, revel in the brilliance.

1) Swollen (Francois K Vocal Mix By François Kevorkian & Eric Kupper): Bent ft. Zoё Johnston (2000)

2) Perfect Way (Way Perfect Mix By François Kevorkian, Alan Meyerson & Josh Abbey) (Full Length): Scritti Politti (1985)

3) Big Decision (Jet Fuel Mix By François Kevorkian): That Petrol Emotion (1987)

4) Snake Charmer (Full Length Version By François Kevorkian): Jah Wobble, The Edge & Holger Czukay (1983)

5) Here To Go (Extended Mix By François Kevorkian): Cabaret Voltaire (1987)

6) Nostalgia (Jeux De Mixage) (Remix By François Kevorkian & Goh Hotoda): Yellow Magic Orchestra (1993)

7) My Red Joystick (Remixed Version By François Kevorkian & Jay Mark): Lou Reed (1984)

8) Don't Look Any Further (Extended Mix By François Kevorkian, Alan Friedman & Alan Gregorie) (Cover of Dennis Edwards): The Kane Gang (1987)

9) The Time Is Now (Francois K Main Vocal Mix By François Kevorkian & Rob Rives): Moloko (2000)

10) Sleepless (Dance Mix By François Kevorkian & John Potoker): King Crimson (1984)

11) Freaky (Francois' Mix By François Kevorkian): Soho (1990)

12) Wire (Celtic Dub Mix By François Kevorkian): U2 (1984)

L'art De La Discothèque, Volume 2 (1:30:18) (GD) (M)

Decadance III: 1994

Side 1 of a nonsensical Nineties mixtape, today landing in 1994.

The year that 'The Bristol Sound' was gaining traction as a viable commercial prospect was also the year that I spent most of it living in another city. Yep, rather than chasing the zeitgeist, I seemed to spend most of my time racing away from it...!

Whilst Lloyd Cole had a lost weekend in a hotel in Amsterdam, I spent late 1993 to autumn 1994 in Derby. A large chunk of that was spent (over)staying with my incredibly understanding friend and his understandably increasingly pissed off girlfriend, before moving into a bedsit on the other side of town.

I'd lived in worse places, though not much. The winter was so cold that ice formed on the inside of the windows, faux-brickwork wallpaper covered the crumbly real stuff behind, and 50p in the meter would just about get enough water for a bath...as long as my neighbour didn't jump into the communal bathroom and nick it first!

Oh, and after several break-in attempts, I had to resort to removing my car battery every evening and keep it in my bedsit. It was quite literally the only thing worth nicking from car, but half-arsed attempts to do so had caused even more damage. 

I spent most of my time in Derby working for a paint company, 2.00-10.00pm shifts in their distribution warehouse, trying to input schedules on to spreadsheet with fingers that had turned blue and lost all feeling about 30 minutes into the shift. 

And it was where I gained a valuable lesson in the pronunciation of UK place names. My Scottish compadres may raise a wry smile when I mention the reaction I got from the person at the other end of the phone, when I wanted to update them on "a delivery to Hawick". They let me repeat several times before putting me out of my misery...

 

For all the anti-social aspects of the group, the people were fun, and I had a brief relationship with a woman in the upstairs office (I was one of the privileged few from downstairs allowed to go upstairs!), who lived out in the sticks and introduced me to some lovely walks in the Peak District. 

I also went clubbing a lot, given that I would finish work at 10.00pm and sleep was the last thing on my mind. I've forgotten most of the places I went to, but they included the Wherehouse for indie-type gigs and club nights. I also went to a few Renaissance nights at the relatively newly opened The Conservatory. I may have seen Sasha there but I have no recollection; I do remember that John Digweed and Ian Ossia were there pretty much every time, and seeing Justin Robertson, the latter peppered all over my record buying at the time.

Gigs were few and far between in that time. In fact, I've only recorded three that I can recall, and what a mixed bag: Freak Realistic playing to a handful of people; The Boo Radleys riding a wave of acclaim on the back of the magnificent Giant Steps, which proved to be impossible to capture live on stage. 

And then a brief trip over to Nottingham in March 1994, for a Megadog event featuring Transglobal Underground, Banco De Gaia and Loop Guru, which was superb. I was also supposed to be seeing Primal Scream at the legendary Rock City the same month but for some reason it never happened. Thirty years later and I've still never been there.

So how is it all of that reflected in today's selection of sounds from 1994? Not very well, if I honest!

Although the peaks for both genres were arguably still ahead, I've eschewed Britpop for Trip Hop, so there's no Blur, Pulp or Oasis (or, thankfully, Ocean Colour Scene) but Bristol's finest are represented with Massive Attack, Portishead and Tricky. Incredibly, only the first of these made the Top 30 though bigger hits were to come. 

 

In fact, this selection is much lighter on Top 40 hits - a mere 5 - compared to previous years, though I couldn't swap out any of these choices, even if it meant no room for Mazzy Star, Underworld, Gene, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Elastica, Kristin Hersh & Michael Stipe, Ride and Billie Ray Martin. And poor Pop Will Eat Itself never did get a look in this time around.

Beastie Boys make a long overdue appearance with Sabotage, which came with a typically brilliant video. Lazarus, possibly The Boo Radleys' greatest moment, wasn't a hit in 1992 and arguably still wasn't in 1994 compared to other singles though it was good to see it get a second crack at the Top, er, 55.

Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart also returned with what I personally consider to be their best album, Take Me To God. I can't award it perfect album due to the guest spot of Dolores from The Cranberries, whose voice I can best and diplomatically describe as grating (sorry). However the single Becoming More Like God is monumental.

Pavement and Stereolab are largely thanks to John Peel playing them on the radio and a friend falling heavily for their music, which provided a sideways door to their songs. Veruca Salt too, although my collection remains largely limited to the Seether and Number One Blind EPs.

7 Seconds by Youssou N'Dour was slow burning single, taking a good couple of months to climb up the UK charts and reaching a peak of #3. No idea why, it's a fantastic song, made even better by appearance of Neneh Cherry and the inspired production of Booga Bear & Jonny Dollar aka Cameron McVey (aka Neneh's hubby) and Jonathan Sharp (who sadly passed in 2009). Neneh...sigh.

And I end with a start. If you've been following this series from the beginning, then you will know that there will always be more MAW. Today's Mandatory Andrew Weatherall is one of his own songs, for a change. Weatherall teamed up with Jagz Kooner and Gary Burns to form The Sabres Of Paradise. In 1994, second album Haunted Dancehall dropped, including a truncated version of preceding single Theme.

Theme, as the title may suggest, was a big, bold brassy cinematic epic, so it was no surprise that it literally ended up soundtracking a film. I don't remember all that much about Shopping the film, if I'm honest; I probably only saw it that one time in 1994. The soundtrack album however is phenomenal: Weatherall/Sabres appear twice, alongside Orbital, Smith & Mighty, The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy, and more. 

The version of Theme on the Shopping OST comes in at just under five and a half minutes, longer than the album version, shorter than the single version, though carrying all of the heft of the original.

 

1) Theme ("Shopping" OST Version): The Sabres Of Paradise

2) Sly (Underdog Mix By Trevor Jackson): Massive Attack ft. Nicolette

3) Sabotage (Album Version): Beastie Boys

4) Numb (Revenge Of The Number): Portishead

5) Lazarus (7 Inch Version): The Boo Radleys

6) Cut Your Hair (Album Version): Pavement

7) Ping Pong (Album Version): Stereolab

8) Ponderosa (Dobie's Rub Part 1): TrIcky ft. Martina Topley-Bird

9) Becoming More Like God (Radio Edit By Mark 'Spike' Stent): Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart ft. Anneli Drecker

10) I Want You (Single Mix): Inspiral Carpets ft. Mark E. Smith

11) Seether (Album Version): Veruca Salt

12) 7 Seconds (Album Version By Booga Bear & Jonny Dollar): Youssou N'Dour ft. Neneh Cherry

6th February 1994: Crooked Rain Crooked Rain (#52): 6

27th February 1994: I Want You EP (#18): 10

3rd April 1994: Haunted Dancehall / Shopping OST (#56): 1

24th April 1994: Becoming More Like God EP (#36): 9

1st May 1994: Ponderosa EP (#77): 8

5th June 1994: Lazarus EP (#54): 5

13th June 1994: Numb EP (# n/a): 4

26th June 1994: American Thighs (#61): 11

3rd July 1994: Ill Communication (#19): 3

24th July 1994: Mars Audiac Quintet (#45): 7

4th September 1994: The Guide (Wommat) (#3): 12

23rd October 1994: Sly EP (#24): 2

 

Side One (45:59) (GD) (M)

Squashed In The Back Of A Taxi, Wondering Where You Are

Everything Is Recorded have dropped three new songs since November, ahead of their third (or seventh*) album, Temporary, arriving on the last day of February.

Losing You features Sampha, Jah Wobble, Mary In The Junkyard, Yazz Ahmed, TIC and Laura Groves, with an infectious groove, an earworm 80s sample and a video featuring most of the cast squashed in the back of a taxi. 

Sampha leads the way vocally, but there's a lovely left turn halfway through, represented in the video by the group disembarking at a petrol station to buy some sweets and fizzy drinks from the shop. Richard Russell and Clari Freeman-Taylor share earphones whilst Laura Groves sings over the spaced out bridging section. 

It's back in the cab for the final 30 seconds or so, a blink-and-you'll-miss-him shot of Jah Wobble, now in the back seat playing bass, and providing a voice over with Sampha in the closing moments. Well worth three minutes of your time. 

Last Thursday, the third preview single dropped, the appropriately titled Swamp Dream #3. Clari Freeman-Taylor from Mary In The Junkyard trudging through the mud with a small TV set, featuring...Clari Freeman-Taylor singing. 

 

This song is reminiscent of the music Richard Russell (aka Everything Is Recorded and XL label boss) has created with Samantha Morton (who also appears on the new album): queasy, unsettling vocals atop sinister strings.

Lastly, but firstly in terms of release dates, there is Porcupine Tattoo, featuring Noah Cyrus (daughter of Billy Ray and sister of Miley) and Bill Callahan (married to Hanly Banks with two kids), 

None of this is random. In 2010, Russell produced and released Gil Scott-Heron's final studio album, I’m New Here. The album was named after and covered the Bill Callahan song of the same name. 

Russell approached Callahan about a collaboration, asking who he would like to write a song for. “Noah Cyrus” was Callahan’s reply. The end result features a duet of Callahan’s original demo vocal with Cyrus’ deep, warm tones. The minimalist sound palette includes a foot stomping bass and country twangs and it's really quite beautiful.

* Between September 2023 and May 2024, Everything Is Recorded released a series of four albums, each inspired by the annual cycle of solstice and equinox, summer to autumn to winter to spring. Hours of collaborative improvisations were edited and reshaped into 10 songs and roughly 35 minutes for each album. And they're all available as a free download on Bandcamp.

Don't Want To Mess Around

I have a couple of gig reviews to post, but they're taking on a life on their own and need some more work so they'll make an appearance later in the week.

 

My fall back, as ever, is reggae and dub and I hope you'll agree that it's stepped up and delivered. Five decades of riddims and rhymes taking in some musical heavyweights and contemporary inspirations. Derrick Morgan technically manages to sneak in two appearances, the second via a dub courtesy of Augustus Pablo. 

Sadly, some of these great artists are no longer with us, though many are and continue to produce great sounds. I'm seeing one of them next month, so expect a gig review here...when I've caught up on the backlog!

 

1) Revolution (Single Version): Dennis Brown (1983)

2) I Was Appointed (Album Version): Junior Murvin (1977)

3) Great Musical Battle: Derrick Morgan (1973)

4) Cleopatra King Size: Jah Wobble & ft. Temple Of Sound (2002)

5) The Gorgon Of Dubs & Horns: Tommy McCook & The Aggrovators (1975)

6) Rough Rider Dub: Augustus Pablo (????)

7) Virus Return: David Harrow (2020)

8) My God: African Head Charge (1990)

9) Super Charge: Jackie Mittoo (1977)

10) Own Man: Lee Perry & The Upsetters (1975)

11) D.U.B. D.U.B. (12" Version): UB40 (1984)

 

1973: Great Musical Battle EP: 3 

1975: Cookin': 5

1975: Revolution Dub: 10

1977: Police & Thieves: 2

1983: Revolution EP: 1

1984: Riddle Me EP: 11

1990: Songs Of Praise: 8

2002: Shout At The Devil: 4

2003: Champion In The Area: 9

2004: The Bunny 'Striker' Lee Story: 6

2020: Virus Dubs: 7

Don't Want To Mess Around (45:36) (KF) (Mega)

Dusted Off And Remixed

Another delve into the vaults for a review of Remixed by Mari Boine, first published on 8th April 2006, with newly added video and Bandcamp links.

 

Taken from the latter's artist biog, Mari Boine Persen is a "singer, musician, songwriter and activist from Sápmi, Norway. Her music is infused with her Sami roots (joik), jazz, rock and electronic sounds. Mari has worked with artists like Jan Garbarek and Bugge Wesseltoft, and participated in the breathtaking video clip One World One Voice. Her solo album 'Gula Gula' was released (internationally) on Peter Gabriel’s RealWorld label in 1990."

 

This is what I had to say about Remixed eighteen years ago.

 

 

I confess to a habitual acceptance of remixes and a borderline obsessive desire to track down reworks by artists as much as a band's original material. The result is a vast collection of obscure remixes by the likes of Andrew Weatherall, Slam, Fluke and Orbital, which often make the proverbial silk purse from a sow's ear. 

 

However, it will also frequently lead me to discover more artists and remixers, or just simply appreciate the record in it's own right. Such is the case with Norwegian artist Mari Boine's Remixed. 

 

I picked up this promo CD for a couple of quid, simply because it featured Jah Wobble, Bill Laswell and Biosphere, and thought that any other listening pleasure would be a bonus. What can I say? Ten tracks and just over an hour later and I've been playing it frequently ever since. 

 

 

Chilluminati provide an atmospheric opener in Gula Gula, neatly leading into Jah Wobble's distinctive bass on Cuovgi Liekkas, which roughly translates as 'Radiant Warmth', appropriately enough. 

 

The tempo then picks up with Those Norwegians' funky take on Gulkan Du, before taking it back down for the spine-tingling Alddagasat Ipmilat by Biosphere. Regardless of my familiarity with the artists, each of the remixes complement each other and use Boine's vocals to great effect, wisely tending to leave them intact. 

 

The notable exception is album closer, Ahccai by Phono*, which weaves a single note vocal into a pulsating beat that ensnares the listener. 

 

 

* If you're wondering why the description doesn't match the music via the Bandcamp link above, it's because I've belatedly discovered that the tracklisting on the promo CD I purchased was incorrect. 

 

Phono didn't remix Áhččai (track 10) but in fact Mun Da Han Lean Oaivamos (track 8), which samples Nelson Mandela.

 

Here's the version of Áhččai that I referred to, actually remixed by Future Prophecies aka Richard Thomas and Tony Anthun.

 

And to close my 2006 review:

 

I'm not sure that I'm curious enough to seek out Mari Boine's other releases, but Remixed will be troubling my CD player for some time.

 

 

Truer words rarely spoken. I still rate Remixed in 2024 but to date it remains the sole Mari Boine album in my collection.

Themes For Cryonic Suspension

Liquid Cool by Apollo 440 popped onto my playlist, prompting a discovery on YouTube of the accompanying video for the single from three decades ago. A bit disappointing to be honest (the video, I mean) but a testament to modest budgets and what you can come up with when all you've got is a corridor, a gurney, a chair and a small box of props and costumes.

 

To give the song it's full 'proper' title, Liquid Cool (Theme For Cryonic Suspension) closed side 1 of Apollo 440's debut album Millennium Fever in 1993 and a remix appeared on the B-side of the Rumble EP the same year.

In September 1994, a promo triple pack 12" started doing the rounds, following by the then de rigeur single release across two CDs, all packed with remixes. 

 

I bought the latter shiny discs, containing 9 versions in total, which Additive Sphere has thoughtfully collected as posted as one album-length experience.

 

Probably a bit much as a single listening experience but, mindful of that, there are jumping on points for each of the individual mixes. Deep Forest was very much in vogue at the time so you get three from them (tracks 2, 6 & 8). Of more interest to me at the time were the remixes by The Future Sound Of London and Jah Wobble, the latter dipping into drum 'n' bass waters, whilst the legendary bass floats over the top. 

 

There are a couple of versions by Apollo 440 themselves and rounding out the CD package, two by Rhythm Of Space, the Space Colonization Remix providing nearly 14 minutes of deep techno. 

 

The second is titled Space -320°F Biostatic Ambient Mix Part 1 and is just over eleven minutes of, you guessed it, dub-heavy ambient sounds. As the title suggests, it's a truncated version of the full-length excursion to be found on side 4 of the promo 12" vinyl and runs to twenty four and a half minutes. Ultra evolution? Not half!

I Am Damo Suzuki

Celebrating Damo Suzuki, 16th January 1950 to 9th February 2024.

 

This one damn near broke me. And I don't mean on an emotional level, but physically trying to get today's selection and post up here. I like to think that in some other plane of existence, Damo is aware of my amateurish efforts and chain of mishaps this morning and is having a belly laugh at my expense, before turning his attention to things of greater cosmic import.

 

I had another post lined up for today, but I woke this morning to the news of Damo's passing and decided that I wanted to post a tribute to him instead.

 

To be honest, I didn't expect it to be a very big job: I have relatively little by Can to begin with and Damo was with them from 1970 to 1973 which narrowed the selection further. I have absolutely nothing of Damo's post-Can career. 

 

And the news that I could have seen Damo play a gig with Fuzz Against Junk in the intimate surrounds of Fiddlers Club in south Bristol in March 2004 is a non-story as I decided not to get a ticket. In retrospect, I should have gone and taken the following day off work.

I then got it into my head that, in the spirit of Damo's improvisational style, I should actually try and cut-and-paste collage of all of the entire longlist, throwing in cover versions and remixes of Damo-era Can songs to boot. So I suddenly had about 20-odd songs and about 3+ hours of material to work with. Okay, so it was going to take a big longer than usual, but I was game...

I was about 3 songs in and thinking that it had got off to a reasonably good start when the Apple Music app which holds my digital music collection starting acting weirdly, shortly followed by the on-screen announcement that the wireless mouse has 1% charge left. Closing down and re-opening the app completely wiped the working playlist that I'd created. No problem, I said through gritted teeth (okay, I did swear a bit too), I'll start over again.

I do have a 'backup' wireless mouse. Unfortunately, it's the 'original' one whose increasingly impaired performance resulted in the purchase of the 'current' one, which had less than 1% at this point and promptly lost connection. The 'backup' had 20% charge which would be fine. However, one it's quirks is unpredictable cursor action, usually resulting in you getting the complete opposite of what you're trying to achieve. Cue lots of examples in the Audacity app of highlighting, moving, editing and cutting  anything but the bit of the music that I was actually working on. 

I could see the job doubling and trebling in length. Thankfully, after an hour there was sufficient charge on the 'current' mouse to abandon the 'backup' and have some hope of completing and posting this selection before Sunday is over.

Another 'improvised' decision as a result of my tech woes, but which may be a blessing to you dear readers, is that the selection is a mere 14 songs. I decided to cut my losses after Halleluhwah and tacked the intended closing song Turtles Have Short Legs at the end. 

So you are denied/spared (delete as applicable) Future Days, Moonshake, Paperhouse, Sing Swan Song, Mighty Girl*, Vitamin C and Yoo Do Right. What you do get is two hours of music edited down to roughly 66 minutes, all giving a nod to Damo's brilliance.

Mother Sky switches between the Can original and the Pilooski edit. On Mushroom, you'll hear Damo duetting with Jim Reid for the first and last time. Mark E. Smith inevitably gets in on the act with The Fall's own tribute from 1985. 

 

Oh Yeah appears in three increasingly shorter sections, courtesy of Can, Kris Needs and Mute label maestro Daniel Miller. There's the wonderfully titled Tape Kebab from a John Peel session* and three versions of Can's masterwork Halleluhwah.

 

First up is the 1995 version by Spirit Feel, featuring Claudia Brücken and Susanne Freytag formerly of Propaganda. This is followed by Damo fronting the original album version. Both of these push beyond 18 minutes; you get much less here, but the addition of a third, closing section from - who else? - The Orb, released a couple of years after the Spirit Feel cover version.

The closer, Turtles Have Short Leg, is incredibly short by Can standards, but one of many examples of their lighter, poppier moments. Well, relatively speaking.

Neither the words nor the selection really do justice to Damo the man, the musician, the uniquely talented individual and front person, be it Can, Damo Suzuki's Network or the numerous collaborations and improvisations that he's been responsible for. 

 

But in reading about my amateurish efforts and chain of mishaps to get this out here today, I hope you'll join Damo in a chuckle, a laugh or a full-on belly laugh. And then go and play some more of his music, long and loud.

See you, Damo.

 

1) I'm So Green: Can (1973)

2) Mother Sky (Album Version): Can (1970)

3) Mother Sky (Pilooski Edit By Cédric Marszewski): Can (2007)

4) Mushroom (Album Version): Can (1971)

5) Mushroom (Live In Nuremburg): The Jesus & Mary Chain (1986)

6) I Am Damo Suzuki: The Fall (1985)

7) Oh Yeah (Album Version): Can (1971)

8) Oh Yeah (Secret Knowledge Mix By Kris Needs & Henry Cullen ft. Jah Wobble): Can (1997)

9) Oh Yeah (Sunroof! Mix By Daniel Miller & Gareth Jones): Can (1997)

10) Tape Kebab (John Peel Session): Can (1974) 

11) Halleluhwah: Spirit Feel ft. Claudia Brücken & Susanne Freytag (1995)

12) Halleluhwah (Album Version): (1971)

13) Halleluhwah (Halleluwa Orbus II) (Remix By The Orb aka Alex Paterson & Andy Hughes) (1997)

14) Turtles Have Short Legs: Can (1971)

 

I Am Damo Suzuki (1:06:16) (KF) (Mega)