Credit to the Edit

I love a good edit, and so does Lovefingers. One of the two folks behind the Black Disco Social Club in Los Angeles (alongside Nitedog), Andrew Lovefingers is a master of re-edits, especially of the space-disco/balearic kind. Examples of his work, as well as a slew of DJ sets, can be found on here (I'm particularly fond of the Donald Byrd and Jo Bisso cuts at the moment.....bliss).

Those who prefer hearing their music coming from a warm deck instead of a warm hard drive will be pleased to hear that Lovefingers collaboration with Nitedog, Black Disco Vol 1, is now out on 12", and a fine rekkid it is too, full of tripped-out woozy goodness. Fans of DFA and Emperor Machine need look no further. Grab it at Phonica while you can.


* Cut Copy are coming to town in April to showcase the damn fine songs from their second album In Ghost Colours, a record that has pretty much been the soundtrack to my week (apart from the sleeping bits that is, and possibly the bits where I had to go pee). Ahem.....anyway, it's out on May 5th here in the UK (yes, it seems rather odd that it's been pushed back again, and in the age of downloading, both of the legal and illegal kind, I'm perplexed as to the reasons why Universal have done this. Surely a foolish move considering the record leaked in early March, and came out in Australia last week). Tickets for their Scala show on April 23 are on sale now (grab 'em here, here, and possibly here)

And if you can't wait until May 5 and would actually like to purchase a physical copy quick smart, Red Eye in Sydney have it for around about £13 (including postage)

(Album highlight? Far Away)

* The best cartoon from my youth has finally made it DVD!

Remember this?



And this?



Wow. The only homework I ever needed as a kid.

Nul point for Sebastien Tellier? Not a chance.

Regular readers of this blog may find this confession rather strange, but I've resisted the Gallic charms of Sebastien Tellier for some time. Until now. I'm not sure why that is to be honest. I'd listened to snippets of his music here and there, and enjoyed his contribution to the Lost in Translation OST (surely one of the best soundtracks in the last ten years). Somehow though, I'd never really sought to take the time to really give his music a proper chance. Possibly because he was always name checked as an artist to like. As in, if you like Air, Beck, Daft Punk, Serge...well, you get the picture. Plus, his similarity to Gonzales bugged me in a way, almost as if he was the Pepsi to Chilly's Coke. (It's seems there's no love between the pair either, if this interview is anything to go by. And how good does the Let's Ride remix sound? Jarvis and Teki Latex? God damn.)

Anyway, I recently visited Rough Trade in Notting Hill a few weeks ago for a record hit (Total damage? You don't want to know, but I can assure you that the final haul was worth every penny) and was immediately taken by one of the tracks played overhead. Sure enough it was the work of Mr Tellier, the track in question Roche from his new album Sexuality (Woodwork). Having previously read that the LP had been produced by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo from Daft Punk, I knew that I would have to give Sebastien a second chance, if only to hear Guy-Man's board work. Roche is reminiscent of the quieter moments on Discovery and Human After All, the slinkier, sexier side of Daft Punk that doesn't get nearly enough credit from critics too busy eulogising about the duo's influence on French dance music's new wave.

Christo's production on Sexuality glistens, providing a jagged intensity reminiscent of Vangelis's work on Blade Runner (Une Heure for example). Together with Tellier's longing vocals, it makes for refreshing listening. There's an almost guilty pleasure feeling to the album, and although not every track works (the over-the-top Manty for one), there's plenty here to immerse yourself in, notable mentions being the stunning closer L'Amour et la Violence and the playful Trevor Hornesque Divine, which has recently been chosen as the official French entrant for this year's Eurovision contest in May. Yes, that's right kids. Vote early, vote often.

Sebastien Tellier - Divine

Meanwhile, here's what Sweden chose to fight it out with Sebastien and...ahem...Andy Abraham (oh dear).



Charlotte Perrelli - Hero.

It's not nearly as good as last year's Svensk pick, The Ark's Worrying Kind. Only 51 points? This is how a Eurovision song should sound like - camp as hell. It's like Thin Lizzy meets Edison Lighthouse. Gold.

Winter Warmer 1 - Mushroom Soup and Fabric Live 36

In honour of the days getting shorter, the nights getting longer, and the cold...well, getting colder, I decided that last week it was time to make the first soup of the season. After visiting the hustle and bustle of Dalston market to pick up provisions, I got started on making what turned out to be quite a nice mushroom soup. As much fun as getting culinary on the weekend is (and believe me, chopping up shallots and blending mushrooms is much more fun than anything the Primrose hill set get up to), what really helps while slicing and dicing is what's on the stereo, because sometimes you need some musical motivation to make sure you spend less time in the kitchen, and more time enjoying what you've just whipped up. So, in what may become a weekly feature on this blog (well, we'll see about that) here's a simple soup recipe to warm up your body, and a fine audio selection to nod your head to whilst straining and stirring.

Right, this one's easy (as it says below). I used around 500g of button mushrooms, 250g of chestnut mushrooms, and around 250g of porcini, shitake and oyster mushrooms, although I guess you can vary the ratio of each according to what type of mushrooms you can get your hands on. I found that the only laborious part of the process came when straining the rough soup (it took an aaaaaaaaaaaaagggggge before I had at least a litre of smooth soup) so make sure you blend it as smoothly as possible to speed up the process. Oh, and while truffle oil is easier to find than it was when I started my attempts at cooking several years ago, you still have to search for it as it's not exactly something that your local Sainsbury's would probably have (mine stopped stocking it a few months ago). I eventually found some at Fresh and Wild, with a small bottle costing around 8 quid a pop. It's well worth having some in the cupboard, as it's a great finishing touch. Don't worry about the cost either as a little oil goes a long way.

Ahem. Now, about those beats.



Punkin' Machine - I Need You Tonight (from Fabric Live 36 mixed by James Murphy and Pat Mahoney)

Surely the best Fabric compilation since last year's Cut Copy helmed Fabric Live 29, the LCD Soundsyem/DFA boffins get down to the D.I.S.C.O with a bag of classic NYC 70s and 80s cuts, alongside their own exclusive track Hippie Priest Bum-Out. My favourite though has to be the slick choice of Punkin' Machine, which brought a tear of joy to my eye. Of course, those tears came while I was chopping shallots so maybe it wasn't exactly joy induced eye-leakage, but it's still a cracking choice. Oh, and head down to Fabric on Thursday 25th October to catch the lads spin a record or two. Tix here, space disco guaranteed.

Creamy Mushroom soup (recipe by Thomasina Miers via UKTV Food)

* Servings: makes about 2 litres
* Level of difficulty: Easy
* Preparation Time: 15 minutes
* Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

* 750g field mushrooms
* 250g assorted wild mushrooms
* 2 tsp butter
* 2 large Shallots, chopped
* 1 garlic clove, sliced
* 1 litre chicken stock
* 500ml Milk
* 100ml double cream
* Truffle oil, to taste
* salt and pepper

1. Roughly chop the mushrooms.

2. Heat the butter in a large saucepan, tip in the shallots and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened, but not coloured.

3. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened - about 5-7 minutes.

4. Cover with the chicken stock and milk and simmer for a further 20 minutes.

5. Using an electric hand blender, whiz the soup until smooth. Pass through a sieve into a clean saucepan to remove any mushroom pieces.

6. Stir in the cream and season with truffle oil, salt and pepper. Reheat the soup before serving.

Errrr......fin! Now dish that dish and dig in. More soup and beats same time next week.

* In other DFA/Cutters related news, head over to Modular People to hear So Haunted, another indication that Cut Copy and Tim Goldsworthy are indeed a match made in heaven. Australian readers - go out and see the boys (plus hot to trot countrymen and fine fellows Damn Arms) as they run around Australia next month.

Midnight Juggernauts / Cobra Dukes

A message to all Australian readers - Pop down to your local rekkid store this weekend. Grab a couple of those plastic notes from your wallet (a red 20 and perhaps a pink 5 should do the trick), lay them down on the counter and ask politely for the brand-spanking new Midnight Juggernauts album, Dystopia. Smile at the guy/gal behind the counter, then thank them. Take it home. Play it. Load it onto your new-fangled MPFree player. Tell your friends. Spread the word. Yup, this album is just a lil' bit special.

Oh, and if you don't live in Australia then you can order it from Inertia, Chaos or Red Eye.


Midnight Juggernauts - Into The Galaxy

* Speaking of Australian niceness that comes in the form of music, Cobra Dukes released their debut single last Monday, and it's also just a wee bit special. The first release on new label Prestel as of last Monday, Leave The Light On has the right blend of dark, off-kilter pop and early Factory style vocals (yes, the names 'Ian' and 'Curtis' spring to mind, but with a touch of 'David' and 'Byrne'). They're playing tonight at The Luminaire in Kilburn, and for 5 of your English pounds you too can see what all the fuss is about.


Grab Leave The Light On at Beatport and Phonica.

* It's the Red Pandas up against reigning champs Otters In Love for the title of 'Darned cutest You Tube animal'. No contest - Red pandas all the way (like Stephanie Kaye).

Shellac @ Koko

All photos courtesy of Jonathan Dadds

Last Thursday saw Steve Albini and his Shellac roadshow come to town with one of the most impressive concerts I've seen in years. Highlights? 'Prayer To God' and 'Squirrel Song' from 1000 Hurts were greeted with cheers (well, as many cheers as the audience, the majority being mostly male music geeks like myself, could muster). New tracks 'The End Of Radio' and 'Steady As She Goes' were also received like old favourites, possibly because they'd been floating around the highways and byways of the web for almost two years, the only evidence of new material from the band.


A hilarious five minute diatribe by drummer Todd Trainer was another memorable moment, especially as he started by talking about AC/DC and ended with a shout out to the Costa coffee shop across from the venue, where the fuel which gave power to his bizarre rant originated.

Bassist Bob Weston was also on fine form, leading the now traditional 'Q and A' sessions with the audience between songs. Subject matter included his beloved Chicago baseball team ('How's the Cubs doing? The Cubs? They lost 6 and 5 to the Mets last night') to rejecting song requests (Audience member: 'Play Crow!', to which Weston responded 'If you shout it out, I guarantee we won't play it').

Most importantly though, the one question which everybody wanted an answer to ensured that the long seven year wait between Shellac albums would soon be over.

'When's the album coming out? June 5'


So to celebrate, head over to the very fine Something I Learned Today for a taster from Excellent Italian Greyhound (the post might be eighteen months old, but that's how long these tracks have been around for).

And here's my highlight of the night.

Shellac - Squirrel Song

* Do you care about the future of internet radio? Don't let the US House of representatives assist Clear Channel and other corporate behemoths water down the choice of music on the airwaves. Sign the petition at Save Net Radio and help keep internet radio alive.

* The new Nine Inch Nails album is certainly a vast improvement on With Teeth, and it looks like Trent has continued his knack for finding the right folks to re-work his vignettes on machines, modern life & 'merica. Come on down Dave 'Switch' Taylor - your leather pants await!

Grab the Switch remix at I Heart Comix.

Here's the fine Bush-baiting original.

Nine Inch Nails - Capital G

I wish that we could talk about it....

In my hungover state this afternoon (due to the messy events of last night's UK iPod battle, won by M.I.A. and friends) I'm finding myself drinking copious amounts of tea, writing e-mails and checking out blogs. One particular blog that I've been following closely is James Murphy's guest column on The Guardian's Arts & Entetainment blog. Murphy was told to write whatever he felt like (i.e. blogging), something which many regular readers of the site felt was a waste of space. Despite the idiotic and pointless vitriol spouted by some readers, Murphy has continued his lower-case submissions, and his most recent post on life as a touring musician is rather touching, in an odd technologically assisted manner.

LCD Soundsytem - Too Much Love

(no, I'm not going to post anything off Sound Of Silver because:
a) every blogger out there has done so already.
b) you should buy it yourself instead of piecing it together from assorted mp3
blogs. Go on....

Everybody was iPod fighting....

Tomorrow at Bethnal Green Working Men's Club there's gonna be a right royal rumble! Kicks off at 9pm with Teki Latex from Frecnh rap crew par-excellence TTC keeping the competitors at a USB cable's length from each other. Hot tips to win? !WOWOW! and the Fabric team.

* In Islington this Friday? I'm playing at Keston Lodge from 9pm to 12 in the morn with heaps of new records in the bag.

* In Shoreditch next Wednesday March 28th? Join Gino Silano and myself for more shennanigans behind the decks at Catch from 9pm. We haven't played alongside each other since New Years Eve '05 - it'll either be messy or brilliant! Or both!

* Two for today. It seems Para One can do no wrong at the moment. I slept on this when it first came out, but it's burrowed in my brain now and I just can't get it out (I believe that's called an earworm sports fans. Oh, and did you know what chooglin really means? Y'know, as in CCR's 'Keep On Chooglin'? Ewwwwww.)

Bloc Party - The Prayer (Para One remix)

Whilst sorting out the mountains of magazine cover mount discs I've collected over the years, I was struck at just how 'on it' the folks at Jockey Slut were. Their Disco Pogo For Punks In Pumps collection seemed to have a canny knack for showcasing at least two to three major talents every volume, and CD number 12 was no different with the likes of The Juan Maclean, The Books, Grand National and Justice vs Simian sharing the spotlight. Oh, and did I mention this was way back in 2003? This cut below though was my particular favourite, coming from The Baron of Techno himself.

Dave Clarke - The Wiggle

Kavinsky, DJ Medhi, Sebastian and a whole lotta bangin'

Pictures courtesy of Dirty Dirty Dancing

Friday night saw the French invasion of Sin as People Are Germs hosted a mighty fine launch party for Kavinsky's 1984 EP. Regular readers will know I'd been harping on about this party for quite some time, considering that alongside Kavinsky himself would be a bunch of Ed Banger's finest representatives in the form of Justice, Sebastian, Mr Oizo, DJ Medhi and Busy P. Unfortunatley gremlins on the Eurostar tracks from Paris to London meant that Justice, Mr Oizo and Busy P couldn't make it, although the occasionally manic crowd that packed the main room didn't seem to mind one bit, in scenes more akin to a mosh pit than a Friday night in a swank Soho nightclub.

Tunes of the night? Well, there were more than a few. The Sebastian remix of Kavinsky's 'Testarossa Overdrive' brought more than a few cheers, as did the one-two sucker punch of House of Pain's 'Jump Around' and The Prodigy's 'Smack My Bitch Up'. However, it's these three below that ensured waking up the next morning wasn't going to be easy.

Editors - Camera (Sebastian remix)

A hidden gem that got slept on upon release, Sebastian's remix of Camera washes away the murky gloom of the original, adds what appears to be a typical Ed Banger style re-rub before a sharp synth heavy left turn leaves the grinning listener in a field of daffodils encircled by dancing rabbits, kittens and puppies frolicking in the midday sun. Well, that's the feeling I got when hearing it for the first time. Anthem anybody?

DJ Medhi - Signatune (Thomas Bangalter edit)

Mr Bangalter works his magic on what was originally just a 'blink and you'll miss it' moment on Medhi's Lucky Boy LP. So good it was played first by Medhi himself and then Sebastian just a two hours later.

Midnight Juggernauts - Shadows

Still gets everybody lip-synching 'ooooh oooooh ooooh' everytime the chorus rolls around.

Grab these beauties at Phonica, Pure Groove and Ed Banger.

To My Boy

Liverpool duo To My Boy have been blazing quite a trail in the last few months, with the release of their debut single 'The Grid' last November garnering a flurry of favourable reviews across the usual rags, as well as cementing a place on the playlists of numerous DJs across the country. Add to this their stellar remix of 'Gravity's Rainbow' from fellow fresh young things Klaxons, plus a growing reputation as one of the best live acts around (seeing them support Max Tundra and Silverlink at the Old Blue Last was one of the best unexpected gigs I've seen in recent years), and 2007 should see the lads conquer all before them.

Swiss collective Audioporno have had their wicked way with the band's new track 'Model', creating a squelchy, chopped up pop treat.

To My Boy - Model (Audioporno remix)

* Tough choices for tonight. Our Disco with their latest secret guests? Computer Blue with The Duloks? The Yo Yo room at Fabric with Busy P and DJ Medhi? Shoot.....

* If you missed it on Monday, BBC 4 are repeating the fantastic New York documentary about the emergence of disco, punk and hip-hop in the 1970s. Once Upon A Time In New York is on tonight at 10pm. There's not too much new information for those familliar with the period as numerous books and documentaries have been made on the three scenes, but as a basic introduction it's a handy primer. Plus, it's worth catching just for the interviews with the likes of Grandmaster Flash, Nile Rodgers, David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain of New York Dolls, and seeing Blondie's Chris Stein walk around an empty CBGBs shortly before the venue's closure in October of last year.

* Funny how the Hendrix estate are complaining about unlicensed images used on Hendrix Electric Vodka when they've been happy to use his name and image to market countless other tacky products.

Help me get an I-Pod, k? / Back with the heavyweight jams!

Another long absence between posts huh? Well, I'll see if I can turn that around. But first....I want an I-Pod dammit. Help me get one by clicking here and then you too could have one! You'll have to complete one of the many sponsored offers that the 'Free I-Pod' people have (go for the Screenselect free month trial - free DVDs!) and once you've completed it, and get 5 other people to do the same, then you too could have a lovely Nano or 30GB beast of your own. I'm going to call mine Sparky.....

Right. So what's been going on? Well, the last month has been a bit of a blur with a few spots of deck-wrecking, visitors from the land down under, the odd gig or two, and stacks of good music out. Let's get to the highlights shall we?

* Music first. Best compilation of the year? Well, it'll be hard to top the latest Fabric mix from my fellow mixed up antipodeans, Cut Copy. The tracklisting (B-LO!) basically begs that you spent your hard earned on it immediately with cuts from Justice, New Young Pony Club, Fred Falke, Roxy Music, Midnight Juggernauts, Daft Punk, the Cutters themselves, and a shedload more. In fact, one of those big music chains in the UK is doing a 2 for 1 Fabric deal at the moment, so you can grab Diplo's set from last year for nix at the same time!! Bloody brilliant I tells ya....

1. I Wish You Were Gone - Joakim
2. Future Unlimited - Cut Copy
3. Disco Clown - Munk
4. Hello Empty Room - Who Made Who
5. Future Unlimited - Cut Copy
6. Get Dancey - New Young Pony Club
7. Bang Bang - In Flagranti
8. Side In - Goldfrapp
9. Dead Eyes Opened - Severed Heads
10. Out The Door - Who Made Who
11. Face To Face - Daft Punk
12. Truth And Lies - Presets (1)
13. Work On You - MSTRKRFT
14. Stop - Casco & BWH
15. Your Retro Career Melted - Faint
16. E Talking - Soulwax
17. Into The Groovey - Ciccone Youth
18. Waters Of Nazareth - Justice (3)
19. Eisbar - Grauzone
20. Acid Never Lies - Riot In Belgium
21. Shadows - Midnight Juggernauts
22. Omega Man - Falke, Fred
23. Champu - Diamond, Daniel
24. Angel Eyes - Roxy Music
25. Going Nowhere - Cut Copy
26. Dream Sequence - Cut Copy

Drool.....

* While Through Being Cool is taking a break, there's a new night starting in October that I feel obliged to plug (like the dirty commercialist that I've become). More news when it comes to hand.

* Big shouts and hollering to the Mindie gals who invited me to play some tunes at their 93 Feet East banger a few weeks back. Let's do it again!

* Gig of the month? Gig of the year - Seu Jorge at Koko as part of the TrocoBrahma festival (beer sponsored, yes, but that's a minor quibble. Anyway, this whole post smacks of sell-out don't you think? Maybe I should go off and chill with Leonard Cohen's monk posse for a while to cleanse my soul). Pickchas? Yeah, scroll down y'all.

Sway, Dynamite MC and Instituto (a bit like Brazil's closest equivalent to The Roots)

Mr Jorge himself.

Jorge and the crew join the crew for a mass dance at the evenings end (during the third encore too!)

*What's on the stereo at the moment?

Midnight Juggernauts - Shadows
Outkast feat. Scar & Sleepy Brown - Morris Brown
The Futureheads - Worry About It Later (Switch remix)
The Roots feat Peedi Peedi - Long Time Comin' (yes, it refuses to budge from the stereo. Class all the way. Bring on Game Theory next Monday)
Cassius - Jack Rock (yes, it's rave meets Italo-house!)
Simian Mobile Disco - Animal House
Christina Aguilera - Still Dirrty
Peanut Butter Wolf - 666 mix (Slayer? The Cure? Ministry? Check, check, check! Get it here or be damned for all eternity!)
Snowden - Black Eyes (Le Castle Vania remix)
Ryan Adams - France
OMD - If You Leave (Time for a John Hughes marathon...)
CSS - Alala
Scissor Sisters - I Don't Feel Like Dancin' (it just burrows in your brain...)

* Oh, and grab the Outkast newie too. Jazztastic.

Right, I'm off to dream of free I-Pods and planes sans snakes (the best B-movie of the year? Maybe.) Back tomorrow.