New Release(s): The World Unknown Label (Naum Gabo / Franz Underwear / Neville Watson / Apiento)
June 22, 2011
World Unknown is a night run by Andy Blake of Cave Paintings/Dissident and Joe Hart of Bodyhammer and Bloc. It is now also a record label coming your way soon and we are on the second release (our does do more than what you hear honest). They have a way with words so I am going to pass this over to them so you can read what it’s all about. For more information on the label click here.
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World Unknown is a monthly underground party held in a railway arch in Brixton, South London.
It’s a post-industrial pleasure dome full of strange and often exotic music that pumps and throbs and shimmers and shakes. The 60s and 70s vintage projector-based lighting and roomful of disco-fog adds to the otherworldliness of the night which is totally unlike any other club in London, and quite possibly the world.
Noting a distinct shortage of contemporary record labels releasing the kind of music that they play at the parties, organisers and resident DJ’s Andy Blake (Cave Paintings, Dissident) and Joe Hart (Bodyhammer, Bloc) decided World Unknown should have it’s own 12” only label.
Each World Unknown release will be a split-artist 12” and there will be six coming out in the first year of it’s life. Here are details of the first two, due to hit the shops in the first week of July 2011.
WORLD UNKNOWN 1
Release date – early July 2011
Format – limited edition 12” only – no digital release
Side W: Naum Gabo – Whop! (Excerpt)
The first World Unknown 12” kicks off with a slamming piece of prototype house from Glasgow’s Naum Gabo aka Jonnie Wilkes from Optimo and his production partner James Savage. Showing that a relatively low pace doesn’t mean any drop in energy levels and dancefloor pump power, Whop! cracks along like something from an alternate reality version of 1980’s Chicago. It’s as easy to imagine it rocking the house at Medusa’s or the Box as it is to envision it in the present day soundtracking some kind of bizarro fetish party or a particularly intense session at Berghain’s Lab-oratory. This is jacking in the true sense of the word.
Side U: Franz Underwear – Grauzone (Excerpt)
On the flip side Italian born Berlin resident Franz Underwear ups the tempo with a stunning piece of slamming European musclebeat. Shades of Ibiza 88-89 pervade here; the kind of pumping, chunky synth action, Teutonic vocal exhortations and vaguely menacing but ultimately benign vibe that sent thousands of potty European kids totally round the bend and changed the world of dance music forever. Fuse together ideas of glamorous open air Mediterranean nightclubs full of sex-crazed hedonistic Eurotrash, sweaty, strobey, smoky South London acid-house basements with walls of bassbins at one end, and your first decent E – that one so strong and clean that your brain nearly popped out of your head and ended up on Mars, and you’re getting somewhere near what this record sounds like. Savage, joyous and teetering on the edge of sanity.
WORLD UNKNOWN 2
Release date – early july 2011
Format – limited edition 12” only – no digital release
Side W: Neville Watson – One Four Green (Excerpt)
If you were to cut Neville Watson he would bleed acid house, he’d also quite likely knock you flat on your arse for having the temerity to wave a knife at him, but that’s a whole other story. For his first WU contribution he ventures down the ethereal proto-house boulevard. Jacking 707 patterns, a bouncing Juno bassline and outer-space synth lines take you into the upper atmosphere for a glorious airborne joyride. As ever, Neville manages to evoke those 85-89 feelings without ever sounding merely retro or like some kind of pastiche, something that many attempt but very few manage to pull off.
Side U: Apiento – The Orange Place (Excerpt)
Over on side u Apiento, the force behind the magisterially brilliant Test Pressing website (paid him for that one – Ed), chips in with a heartfelt homage to the new beat sound. Another testimony to the fact that a lower tempo doesn’t have to mean diminished energy levels, The Orange Place simply oozes class from top to bottom. Like some lost Ancienne Belgique classic it pounds and pumps along, building up the tension all the while until the quasi- Eastern refrain lets loose half way thru and all of a sudden a mystic portal opens up in the space-time continuum that leads all the way to Southwark Street in late 87.
For label and other World Unknown info email Andy and Joe here and for distribution enquiries mail here.
World Unknown are also having a launch party in Brixton on Friday 8th July. It won’t be the usual record launch party though. Just the usual WU faces, two bags of records, a smoke-filled room and a big black wall of speakers pounding out the pressure. DJs on the night are Andy Blake and Joe Hart of World Unknown playing throbbing electronic music for dancing™ from 11pm -6am. Email the chaps here for £5 list all night (ltd to first 50).
Our regular Brixton Venue, a railway arch far far away from the tyranny. It’s easy to get to by tube (Brixton 10 mins walk), overground (Loughborough Junct 30 seconds) and bus. The 35/N35 stops right outside and runs all night and day. Address will be sent closer to the time.
[Apiento]
Mix: Apiento – Tribute
November 1, 2010
Here’s some sweet old records for our 100th mix.
For lovely Alison.x.
[Apiento]
Mix: Apiento – Deck The Halls… A Christmas Mix
December 12, 2009
Here’s a Christmas mix for the end of the year. It’s full of songs I’ve been listening to over the past few months. It’s not balearic, nor disco, just a collection of lovely songwriting that starts with Ian Matthews ‘Seven Bridges Road’ (Fleet Foxes owe you a pint sir) and then moves along a folky rock lineage from there. Nice.
[Apiento]
Mix: Apiento – Joux Joux Le Mix
October 26, 2009
Here’s a mix I did for my good friends at Joux Joux Le Shoe who have just launched a new ladies shoe company based around the motto of ‘shoes for girls that don’t go home’. The mix is for the morning after the night before and goes from the obvious to the unknown and includes a lovely unreleased track from Phil Mison under his Cantoma guise. Anyway, if you need a present for your good wife have a look at their site as it’s all about to go for Joux Joux.
When Saints Go Machine: Pick Up Your Tears And Run
The King Kong Cast: Kwela Kong
Happy End: Kaze Wo Atsumete
Rainstick Orchestra: Waltz For A Little Bird
Stereolab: Les Aimies Des Memes
ESG: New Day
Crosby, Stills & Nash: In My Dreams
Midlake: Bandits
Kenny Rankin: People Get Ready
Rachel Sweet: It’s So Different Here (Lexx Edit)
TV On The Radio: Ambulance
Robin Guthrie: Sparkle
Rainstick Orchestra: Electric Counterpoint Fast
Moondog: Chaconne In G Major
Cantoma: Untitled
Robin Guthrie: Mission Dolores
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[Apiento]
Mix: Apiento – Flat Earth
August 2, 2009
Wally Badarou: The First Flower
Norberto Lobo: Pato Lenta
Fontan: Backustugu
Black Dog: The Crete That Crete Made
Wally Badarou: Gabriel’s Dream
Wally Badarou: Theme From Countryman
Eric Serra: Leaving The World Behind
Bagdad Cafe: The Story/Calling You (Instrumental)
Wim Mertens: Their Duet
Hans-Joachim Roedelius: Kleine Blume Irgendwo (Little Flower Somewhere)
Arthur Lyman: Hilawe
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Energy Flow (Version)
Debussy: Préludes I – No. 8 La Fille Aux Cheveux De Lin
Arthur Jeffes: Piano Piece No.4
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Rain (I Want A Divorce)
Pat Metheny: Au Lait
Apiento – Flat Earth
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[Apiento]
Spotify Playlists 01 (Updated Again)
July 7, 2009
It seemed like there wasn’t a place to capture those Spotify playlists floating about so I thought I’d get a few together. You know what to do. Copy the link in your browser and off you go. It’s the modern C90.
Update: Just added a couple of lovely playlists from Manchester’s Jason Boardman – one of Aficionado favourites and also an Electric Elephant 2009 playlist. Better get the free music while you can as apparently Spotify are looking for a cash injection of up to £30M.
Jason Boardman’s Aficionado Classics
Jason Boardman’s Electric Elephant 2009 Playlist
Apiento playlist 01:12 (tracklisting above)
Wonderfulsound Libraries Spotify Playlist – The Harbour Mystery
Start of a Compass Point and related playlist…
Ripped In Glasgow Influences Playlist
Tim Hayter’s early disco playlist
Balearic beats from Jolyon Green and Moonboots
Low-down funky business courtesy of Rocky of X-Press 2 and Ballistic Brothers fame
Sweet Brasilian sounds courtesy of Russ F over at Brownswood
Send yours in if you feel like getting involved here. More to follow.
[Apiento]
Exclusive Track: The Secret Music Club
June 14, 2009
Test Pressing Radio
June 8, 2009
Here’s an edited version of the Test Pressing Radio show on Diesel Radio. Steve Terry’s mix didn’t make the cut due to mixer issues but here’s Phil Mison in the mix and a few other bits. Steve will be back soon with a mix of his own. Anyway, until then here’s the show.
Test Pressing Radio
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[Apiento]
Test Pressing FM – We’re On The Radio…
May 22, 2009
Monday at 5PM Test Pressing is live on Diesel Radio with co-hosts Steve Terry of ESP and Phil Mison from Reverso 68 and Cantoma. Expect Steve’s slow house vibes, some mellow sounds from Phil and some Island Records as it’s their 50th birthday. So, 5pm here if anyone fancies. We’ll try and upload the show soon.
[Apiento]
Mix: Apiento – Test Pressing Christmas Mix
December 23, 2008
Edit: Features Of Love – Apiento
October 12, 2008
Edit: Excellent Birds – Apiento Edit
October 9, 2008
Edit: Madam Butterfly – Apiento Edit
October 6, 2008
Mix: Apiento – Four In The Morning
October 4, 2008
Apiento: Four In The Morning Mix
Prefab Sprout: Desire (Acoustic Version) (Edit)
Ilous & Decuyper: Hawaii
Apiento: A Short Tail
Penguin Café Orchestra: The Sound Of Someone You Love Going Away And It Doesn’t Matter
David Sylvian: Veil (Apiento & Tim H Edit)
Phillipe Saisse: God Son Paris
Prefab Sprout: Faron Young (Acoustic Version) (Apiento Edit)
Zenamon: Oh Nandu, What We’ve Done!
Steve Winwood: In The Light Of Day (Apiento Edit)
Malcolm McLaren: Madam Butterfly (Apiento Opera-less Edit)
Sade: Paradise (Apiento Extended Edit)
Brigaide Mondaine: Brigaide Mondaine
[Apiento]
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