wha' g'waan bredren

It feels like ages since I last posted but I guess it's not really. I had great intentions and planned on posting loads but then I didn't have the time to do it. That's enough excuses anyway, let's have a round up of what's been happening in the vinyl world and also review and preview some events in Matt Vinyl's life.

I should mention the buzz that was the Festival of World Culture. Held in various parts of Dun Laoghaire, we decided to bring the kids along on Sunday afternoon. And what a belter of a day it turned out to be. It actually felt like summer for the first time this summer. I don't even know the names of the acts that I managed to see but the first was three heavy-boned African women doing some singing and some leisurely dancing. They were great craic altogether. Next up was a peculiar hybrid band of bagpipers and samba drummers. It was weird shit but once again it was great. Not the usual thing I'd go and listen to so all the more reason to check it out. The North Strand Klezmer Band were up next and were pretty deadly. They sound a bit like how I imagine a Jewish wedding band might sound. The next lot were another peculiar lot. I think they were from the Ukraine and they appeared to have a sizeable following who'd come to see them. There were three ladies, two on drums and one on what looked like a cello. There was a bloke with them who'd sing every so often into a small loudspeaker (a la Michael Stipe). They were making music that could best be described as Ukrainian Folk Techno. I loved the first few tunes but then it just started to grate on my skull. I'm at a loss to remember who came next. I was pretty drunk at that stage. I was also wondering where the world culture was in the crowd. It started to resemble a festival of middle classes. I'd had enough, the kids were tired, I was in bits. There was no time to hang around to hear Lisa Hannigan so I guess I'll have to check her out this weekend.

Which leads me nicely to the forthcoming Electric Picnic. I'm heading down this Friday morning but I'll unfortunately have to cut the weekend short and come home on Sunday evening. As such I'm going to miss the one band that I really wanted to see, My Bloody Valentine. I'm a bit snapping about that but what can I do. Another of the kids has their first day at school on Monday and I just can't miss it. I'm not sure why, cos I missed the other two starting school but lets not dwell on my past misdemeanours. I can console myself somewhat because at least I managed to catch them play a couple of times when they were in their prime. They were gigs that I remeber well and really enjoyed so I hope its the same for everyone else on Sunday night. I'll play a few of their tunes before bed on Sunday night. That should send the kids off to sleep. I'll update you on the events upon my return.

In terms of vinyl procurement it's been a so-so few days. I picked up two seven inches that are so shite that they're really not worth mentioning. However I have mentioned them so I may as well tell you what they are. The first is by The Shortwave Set and its called 'Now til '69'. I bought it because its produced by Dangermouse but all he's managed to produce is a load of hairy arse. It sounds like a really bad David Bowie tune. Think Absolute Beginners. Or it sounds like any Golden Horde tune! The other piece of shit that I bought is called 'Steve Mc Queen' and its by The Automatic. Avoid it at all costs.

Some quality control was imposed for the next few purchases thank Jaysus. It's the third single that I've bought from the Lykke Li album and its another cracker. Its called 'Breaking it Up' and it's one of my favourite tunes on the album. The b-side features a remix of 'Everybody but Me' by Norwegian producer Disk Jokke. Its a nice low key rhythmic affair that builds from start to finish. It's great. It sounds nothing like it but it somehow manages to remind me of 'State of Independence' by Donna Summer. Maybe Disk Jokke is the new Quincy Jones. Maybe not.

The new Beck seven inch 'Chemtrails' sounds like he got stuck in a room with a load of British shoegazers from the late eighties and a bunch of prog-folkers from the late sixties. The result is a pretty charming affair. Lots of rolling drums and phased vocals. Just what the doctor ordered. Even the freaky guitar wank-off at the end fits in nicely and its abrupt ending is timed extremely well. It stops just before you get annoyed with it.

The final three mentions go to the albums that I picked up in All City Records the other day. The lads got a load of new second-hand stock in and amongst it was a load of funk and jazz. The three gems that I uncovered are all ones that I've meant to buy before. Well now I have them. They are 'Sketches of Spain' by Miles Davis, 'Feelin Alright' by Mongo Santamaria and 'Lets take it to the stage' by Funkadelic. They've a bucket load of great stuff down there at the moment. Tell them I sent you. They'll probably throw you out.

And finally.........he's been at it again. That MP3Hugger never rests on his laurels. He's put together the second Indiecater compilation and it once again features a load of bands from around the globe. I only downloaded it tonight so I'll look forward to listening to it over the next few days. I might even review this one rather than give it the few half-arsed sentences like I did with the last one. The again I might not because I'm becoming a lazy bastard and my reviews never extend beyond two sentences. It might be best for all if I leave it to the professionals. Buy it here.

shut up and dance again

There's been a recurring theme in my recent acquisitions. Yet again I picked up a release on the Shut Up and Dance label. This early nineties dance label started out as a rap vehicle for Pj and Smiley but it soon turned into much more than that. There's a great article in the last edition of Woofah magazine with the guys from SUAD. Anyhow the one I got my hands on today was SUAD 11 which has remixes of Derek Went Mad and This Town Needs A Sheriff. The originals of both are on the 'Dance Before the Police Come' album. Old school!!!

In the same Oxfam shop I also managed to come across a tune by Top Cat and DJ Rap called Ruffest Gun Ark. It's a slice of jump-up ruffneck jungle from 1995 when the scene was probably at its peak. It was all downhill from there really. There was also a copy of the 12" of Creation by Stereo MC'S. I'd forgotten how good the tune was.

Whilst in Spindizzy records I came across the brilliant Inspiration Information album by Shuggie Otis for a ridiculously cheap sum of €7. It's in tip-top condition and is guaranteed to put a smile on anyones face when played.

I also buzzed back into Tower records to see if they'd thrown anything into the cheapo seven inch selection. Much to my surprise there was loads of good stuff in it. If anyone is about there in the next day or two I'd recommend picking up a copy of Gum by Cornelius for a measly 99c. I have it already but I was tempted to buy more copies. Instead I bought Move Me by Gudrun Gut which came out on the EarSugar label. It cost 10c. I also picked up A Brighter Beat by Malcolm Middleton for 99c. Another one for 99c was 'If that's the case, then I don't know' by The Electric Soft Parade. Check out the video they look like a real bunch of freaks. Yet another 99c job was 'The Siren's Call' by Jazzanova on the Sonar Kollektiv label. It's a lovely little ditty and I'm definitely most pleased with it.

In terms of new releases I also picked up 'Soul on Fire' by Spiritualized. I've always been a fan of Spiritualized and have been fortunate enough to see them play a few times. Glad to see them back.

Here's Tenor Fly and Top Cat getting busy in the studios of Origin FM in London fairly recently:

strictly vibes

There's nothing quite like some silence in order to ponder the grander aspects of life. I've been pretty busy front-loading the rearing of my latest offspring. Like any project it's easier to do the graft at the start in order to allow for an easy run in later on. That's been the case with the latest little fella. After eight weeks of intensive parenting the results are beginning to show. He's already managed to sleep through the night for the last few evenings. Apparently some parents have not experienced this event until their kids are one and sometimes two years old. I've several theories on this but this is a music blog and I don't want to elicit the wrath of any parents who can only begrudge my skilful rearing of children. All four so far were sleeping through the night by about eight weeks old. Anyway this paragraph so far has merely served to act as an excuse for not posting as regularly as I usually would. Then again I'm not sure why I'm even excusing myself, you're getting all this for free in any case.

I have managed to pick up a few things over the last week or so. The first I should mention is the new album by M83 which is a throwback to a mix of several sounds of my youth. There's loads of reviews of it already so go and read them instead.

I'll go through some of the more recent releases on the seven inch format that I've picked up. The first comes from a band who seem fond of some choice language given that they're called 'Holy Fuck'. They hail from Toronto, I believe, and they're the latest craze if the music press are to be believed. You can read an interview with them in the online edition of new Irish music magazine, State. The a-side is called 'Lovely Allen' and its a nice job but I'm more fond of the b-side which has a tune called 'Super Inuit' on it. It reminds me of seventies kraut-rock a la Neu. It's a great tune.

Next up is a tune that was released a couple of weeks ago. Its reminiscent of some dreamy pop from another age. There's a great synth hook that runs most of the way through it. It's unnoticeable at first but have a closer listen and you'll see what I mean. It's called 'Happiness' and is the latest release from Goldfrapp. The flip side has a great remix by Metronomy.

Another band that I've seen a lot written about is Neon Neon, a collaboration between Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys and freaky beatmeister Boom Bip. It's another one that is like a throwback to the early eighties synth laden pop of Vince Clark. It's a very simple affair and therin lies its beauty. I've yet to listen to the rest of the album so I'm not sure if the beauty would extend to a full album of similar material. The b-side is a remix of the tune that adds a bit of Afrika Bambataa and Jan Hammer into the mix. Heavier beats and and a meatier synth riff are the order of the day.

I also picked up a few older tunes, the first being the timeless classic, 'Everybody Dance' by Chic. It's a bit crackly but it still rocks the joint. They knew how to write a bassline back in those days. I also bought 'Sixteen' by Musical Youth. This tune features Jody Watley on guest vocals, is from around 1983 and was penned by Motown legend Lamont Dozier. It's a nice slice of lovers rock but the b-side is much better. It's called Strictly Vibes and was written and produced by the band themselves and iot doesn't feature on any of their other records. It's a fair reflection of what the band were about.

The last two records of any note are a re-pressing of 'You showed me' by The Turtles and a reggae reworking of 'What's going on'. The first tune might be known to a lot of my generation as it was covered by The Lightning Seeds. Broudie did a grand version, but to be honest, when you compare it to the original its pretty lame. The second tune is a kind of soul reggae mashup but it somehow works. The b-side is another mashup featuring Edwin Starr's War and Sean Paul's Gimme the Light. Its fucked up but I like it too.

here comes the small hours

I hadn't popped into the Brooklyn Vegan site for ages so I thought I'd pay it a visit this evening. Whilst there I stumbled upon a remix of El Manana, the Gorillaz tune, by TTC. He in turn had found it over on the Genevan Heathens blog. It's a rather nice remix of it I have to admit. Nothing out of this world but very pleasant. The Parisien hip-hop producer, Para One, also seems to have had a hand in the tune.

The Genevan Heathen blog seems to have an obsession about using movie stills from 80's American movies and he appears to have an unhealthy interest in Corey Feldman. I realised that I've seen an awful lot of bad movies as i recognised most of the stills on his blog. He also shows an interest in music that I'd never really listen to, but I thought others might, if their attention was drawn to it. Consider it drawn.

As one blog led on to another, I came across this remix of last years favourite whistling laden ditty, Young Folks, by Peter, Bjorn & John. The first few bars remind me of the theme tune to sixties TV programme Daktari, which made a star of Clarence, the cross-eyed lion. Then it starts to funk it up proper. It's not bad either.

I kept lurching forward from website to website, by this stage I was getting a crick in my neck but it was all worthwhile when i found a real gem. This one takes me back to my youth when I was rocking out in a second-rate band (ok maybe third rate!). It's 'Don't want to know if you are lonely' by Catherine Wheel but it also featured on the Husker Du album, Candy Apple Grey. The song was written by Grant Hart who also turned out some great solo stuff. As it turns out the lead singer with Husker Du, Bob Mould, is back on the trail and is releasing a new album next week.

Last but by no means least. Naphta, flavour of the month on the national airwaves, makes an appearance on Donal Dineen's radio show tomorrow night (Thursday) where he'll be bringing along some tunes that he's picked up over the years. Donal and Naphta will be chatting about the stuff that's influenced Naphta in his deejaying and music production. If breakbeat, jungle and other electronic music genres are your bag then you'd be a fool to miss it. If breakbeat, jungle and other electronic music genres aren't your bag then you'd still be a fool to miss it. Now I wouldn't want you looking the fool. Tune in on the wireless at 102 FM or on the other type of wireless. If you are a fool and you miss it then it should be archived here afterwards.

Update: The link to the archive is bust for the last few days. Fix it you lazy shites.