Gil Scott Heron – A Test Pressing Tribute
May 31, 2011
It was a sad day when we heard about the passing of the genius that was Gil Scott Heron. The good Dr Rob brings a fitting Test Pressing tribute.
Gil Scott-Heron: April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011
Gil Scott-Heron: Lady Day & John Coltrane (Flying Dutchman)
Gil Scott-Heron, Brian Jackson & The Midnight Band: The Liberation Song (Arista)
Gil Scott Heron & Brian Jackson: The Bottle (Live) (Arista)
Gil Scott-Heron & His Amnesia Express: Angel Dust (Live) (Essential)
Gil Scott-Heron: The Klan (Chicken Wings Edit) (Soul In The Hole)
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson: Peace Go With You Brother (Strata-East)
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson: Angola, Louisiana (Arista)
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson: It’s Your World (Soul Brother)
Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie XX: I’ll Take Care Of You (Young Turks)
If I had to choose only one Gil Scott-Heron track then it would have to be the version of “The Bottle” from the live double LP “It`s Your World”. I picked up my copy, which is only half the album, for 50 pence in The Record And Tape Exchange in Notting Hill in the mid-90s. I now know this to be a David Mancuso “Loft classic”, but I can remember being pretty nervous the first time I played it. Worried about audience reactions to the extended percussion break. Needless worries. For at the point when the song kicks back in the whole place literally jumped. Including those folks at the bar. The whole place lifted several feet. Everyone was higher. One of my fondest DJing memories.
Music so life-affirming, so positive, so inspiring and so heart-felt from an intelligent man clearly troubled by personal demons. A man who struggled his whole life with the very things he was warning against. Like Burroughs, a man who totally understood the tools of control, but still couldn’t help himself. The simple true-ism that “Everybody needs something”, a criticism and a confession, is something I’ll be quoting for as long as I`m still breathing.
When I dug the record out again to put this compilation together, and heard the line “Brother says he’s got to have some money, sister told me all she needs is love”, I was reduced to tears. I guess if you don’t understand, then you might count yourself lucky.
Compiled by Dr Rob, with considerable assistance from Tim H.
[Dr Rob]
Just Because 023: Weatherall DJing In Rimini
May 26, 2011
Best sleeve notes ever? These are from 1995 and from a London perspective they nail it.
Thanks to Adam Khan.
[Apiento]
Art & Design: Signs Of The Times / i-D Logo Piece
May 24, 2011
There was a time in 1987 when we used to roam the streets nicking VW badges from unsuspecting car owners (and teachers though that soon came to an end when our mate got caught with one in his school bag). It was a short lived fad on the streets of suburban Orpington but those Beastie Boys obviously had an impact as it led i-D magazine to do a piece in December ’87 on the history of some of the more prominent logos of the time. Seminal cover of the magazine as well.
Mix: Hardway Bros / ALFOS – We Are One
May 22, 2011
Not only named after a brilliant AR Kane record, the A Love From Outer Space night has, by all accounts, been a bit of a success. From talking to one of the chaps involved one night the gist is keep it sub 120BPM. Sounds good to me. Here’s the Hardway Bros mix which was given out at the club on Thursday to celebrate the first birthday.
[Apiento]
Lovely day out today in Soho for me and the child (seen below rocking the New Era) at the Independent Label Market. This one was conceived by our friend Katy from Bang On PR (she’s the one doing the thumbs up at the bottom), and a friend, to celebrate independent record labels. The idea was that the labels themselves took stalls in Soho’s Berwick Street Market (with the odd florist and fish stall placed in between which was great) selling their own music. Labels taking part were Rough Trade, Heavenly, Peace Frog (soon celebrating their 20th anniversary), Moshi Moshi, Domino (who even even had a credit card machine), Mute, R&S, Wall Of Sound, Soul Jazz, Bella Union and XL.
Apparently at 10am the collectors were out in force and this carried on throughout the day. Mute’s stall was one of the best with great cakes, Daniel Miller signing copies of The Normal’s ‘Warm Leatherette’ and a coveted Mute synth (£50 to you guvnor) which one of our mates picked up. It was great to be able to buy a record from XL boss Richard Russell, Daniel Miller of Mute or Jeff Barrett from Heavenly and in general it showed a nice demand for the UK’s independently released music. Fair play to Katy and co for getting it together and fingers crossed it’s on next year.
[Apiento]
Mix: Phil South / Live At Electric Elephant
May 21, 2011
Phil South, as many of you know, is the head honcho of Golf Channel records, purveyors of modern twisted disco and balearic beats. Actually, talking of balearic beats and Golf Channel they are about to release a new record which is one of the best things I have heard in ages. Must be an old record but the people with the knowledge that I have asked don’t have a clue what it is. Anyway, if you see a new Golf Channel in the shops in the next week or so check it as it’s a killer. So here’s a mix from Phil live at Electric Elephant last year. Enjoy.
[Apiento]
Producers Series #12: Conny Plank
May 18, 2011
Right I am going to get many of my facts from Wikipedia on this one so any complaints on facts and them being incorrect we can blame the crowd sourced world of the internet. Konrad “Conny” Plank (frequently spelled Planck) was born on May 3, 1940. Born in Hütschenhausen, he was heavily involved in defining the krautrock sound and worked with bands such as Kraftwerk, Neu!, Cluster, Harmonia, Ash Ra Tempel, Holger Czukay (Can), and Guru Guru.
Plank began his career as soundman for Marlene Dietrich and was an ardent believer in the possibilities of electronic music. He was also a master of creating electronic soundscapes and was adept at blending them with conventional or natural sounds, or in some cases industrial objects used as percussion instruments.
He was one of the first European producers to fully exploit the possibilities of using multi-track recording facilities to create dramatic production effects and treatments that acted as musical and rhetorical elements in their own right. Plank used radical combinations of echo, reverberation and other electronic, mixing, equalisation, editing and tape-based effects and was influenced by the work of Jamaican pioneers like Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry. It is said that he has been a key influence on producers and artists such as Brian Eno, David Bowie and John Lydon.
Thanks to the good Doctor Rob for compiling.
[Apiento]
Review: DJ Harvey Presents Locussolus / Locussolus
May 18, 2011
I woke up far too early so I thought I’d try and get through this growing pile of releases that I promised to review. As I’ve said I’m not a journalist so I won’t try to be this Harvey album has had the whole – what is it called??? nu-disco? balearic? – let’s settle for disco at this hour… Anyway, it’s had the whole disco crew with money in hand. The 12’s released to date have been ‘Gunship’/’Little Boots’, ‘Tan Sedan’/’Throwdown’ and ‘I Want It’/’Next To You’.
The CD has the following tracklisting according to the press release:
1. Gunship
2. Little Boots
3. Gunship (Andrew Weatherall Remix)
4. I Want It
5. Throwdown
6. Bloodbath
7. Tan Sedan
8. Next To You
9. I Want It (Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas Remix)
10. Throwdown (Harvey’s Dub)
11. Little Boots (An Emperor Machine Special Edit Version)
So in essence this is a collection of the 12’s with additional versions from the massively good Emperor Machine (their version of ‘Little Boots’ being the perfect track to go out on), Weatherall, Harvey himself, and a new track in the form of ‘Bloodbath’ which I don’t think has been out before. I have to hold my hands up here and say I might have that massively wrong as it’s early but I think I’m right. Anyway, ‘Bloodbath’ is good. It’s a slow burner with a dubbed out guitar riff and fat synths that rolls along. Think soundtrack to a good f&cked up psyche movie. One of my favourite versions on the album is Harvey’s own dub of ‘Throwdown’. He drops the vocal and twists it all up dubbing it out and playing with the drums. According to the press release there will also be a hand stamped, Harvey designed white label (how do you design a white label?) of the alternate vocal Weatherall Remix of ‘Thickums’ and ‘Bloodbath’.
What can I say, you all know what this is all about. He takes disco in its various forms, sends it sideways through the f&ck machine and brings it our the other side via an Echoplex. And it works. It’s a good album. And one I hope that will take this music as a sound out to a wider audience as it got legs. I could imagine it sitting happily on Ze if it was still going which is high praise.
DJ Harvey Presents Locussolus / Locussolus is released on 13th June on International Feel.
[Apiento]
Review: The Revenge / Reekin’ Structions
May 18, 2011
Quick review of the new Revenge record which I said I’d review weeks ago (sorry Melissa!). I like the Revenge, also known as Graeme Clark, as he takes it out there in a bit more of a ‘Greg Wilson music for the masses’ kind of way. You know… There is no snobbery – just take it to the dancefloor and lets have some fun.
This is released on Dave Lee’s Z Records, someone I also massively admire for his ability to take it to the masses when deep down you know he’d rather be sat at home playing super rare disco records with his mates making bad jokes. Anyway, here’s the tracklisting as my review below won’t help you much with that and if you want an album that everyone can have fun too then get this.
Mid-Air: Ease Out (Revenge Edit)
Johnny Adams: Feel The Beat (Revenge Edit)
Sargeant & Malone: Love Message (Revenge Edit)
Velvet Hammer: Party Down (Revenge Edit)
The Joneses: Summer Groove (Revenge Edit)
Chapter Three: Smurk Trek (Revenge Edit)
Electric Smoke: Freak It Out (Revenge Edit)
Letta Mbulu: Kilimajiro (Revenge Edit)
Vance & Suzanne: I Can’t Get Along Without You (Revenge Edit)
Nel Oliver: Dream On (Revenge Edit)
Reekin’ Structions is in the shops now (I think).
[Apiento]
Radio: Jon Savage – Savage Music 025 / 1969 Part 6
May 15, 2011
This is the last part of Jon Savages 1969 series – a very important year for him and music in general. Only four more shows to go in the series.
[Apiento]
Mix: Niles/Labour Of Love
May 14, 2011
Don’t worry, there’s no Hue & Cry on this one, well saying that I wouldn’t mind as I quite like that record, but here Niles from Emotional Pop has compiled a mix of some of his favourite European pop records. Cheers Niles.
Follow Niles on Twitter here.
[Apiento]
Art & Design: Ku Poster 1990
May 14, 2011
Keeping the Ku theme moving along this poster dates from 1990 and comes from the Ku Ibiza Best Years Facebook group 1978-1990. Like the way the designer spelled Rocky’s name wrong and also got the classic graffiti emblem the flying eyeball in there. There are some amazing photos and posters in the group if you want to see more.
[Apiento]
Mix: Ku 1985
May 13, 2011
This one came via Jolyon Green who discovered it on a Spanish forum. It sounds authentic – every so often someone says ‘KU’ on the mic. All it said on the file was KU 1984 Discoteca though the music dates it as more like ’85. One for the hardcore balearic heads.
Thanks to Jolyon.
[Apiento]
The Face: Barney Bubbles
May 13, 2011
This one comes from The Face in November 1981 and is a great interview with celebrated graphic designer Barney Bubbles. If you are interested in reading more on Mr Bubbles there is a great book out that has recently been updated. Love the self portrait.
[Apiento]
The Face: Hard / Ray Petri (Buffalo)
May 11, 2011
Classic buffalo spread from The Face in March 1985 with photography by Jamie Morgan and styling by the late Ray Petri. I’ll run the Warhol piece from this edition at a later date.
[Apiento]
More Keith Haring here, this time from The Face in the mid-80s. Here he collaborates with Mario Testino (early in his career) on a fashion spread and a self-portrait. Wish there was more of this in the current times…
[Apiento]
Aside from being a massive Paradise Garage head Keith Haring will always be associated in my head with that colourful 80s New York period that is very Test Pressing. In 1984 he went to France for the Le Mans 24 hour race and, as ever, created some art for the race. I found loads of images on this French site so thanks chaps.
[Apiento]
Great piece by David Toop from the December ’88 edition of The Face on the hose sound of New Jersey featuring interviews with Marshall Jefferson, Blaze, Larry Patterson, Jomanda, Phase II and Hippie Torales.
[Apiento]
Live: Four Hands / Live At Suono
May 8, 2011
Here’s a lovely one to round off the weekend, long lost Newcastle outfit Four Hands, aka Steve Legget, with 45 minutes of dubbed out, gin-fuelled balearic beats and slow house live at the Suono party last week. You can hear more at their Soundcloud page or they’ll be coming to another Suono party very soon.
[Apiento]
Click here for Test Pressing RSS
Test Pressing 