Under The Radar No.9: Mission Control – Outta Limits
November 15, 2009
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I was round the guys house that engineered the Bang The Party releases and we were going through his records. Within the standard genre sections (disco, funk, dub etc…) he had a further category for Murk. I liked that. Not really ‘Under The Radar’ but here’s my favourite Murk moment anyway.
[Apiento]
Under The Radar No.7: Yennek – Dancing Tides
October 5, 2009
Lovely uptempo Detroit track with a mellow edge from Kenny Larkin under his Yennek guise. When asked about the Yennek moniker Larkin replied, “”I don’t have any deeper meanings for this. You do without thinking; I just put the Kenney letters backwards.” (That actually doesn’t make sense as it would mean he can’s spell his own name but there we go… – Ed).
Yennek: Dancing Tides
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[Apiento]
Found this one in a little shop in Chichester and it just ‘looked’ good. Made in ’84 it sounds perfect for now and has been the morning record in my house for a while. On the surface it seems quite pleasant but the song is basically about trafficking heroin (‘traveling across the world, selling it to boys and girls’). Seems like there’s lots of digging to be done into the world of Thomas Leer.
Thomas Leer: International (Global Mix)
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[Apiento]
This is one of the first Brazilian records I ever bought, and its still my favourite, nearly twenty years later. The credits on the back of the sleeve read like half a Brazilian football team – Joaozinho, Wagner, Dadi, Bidu, Gil, and Jorge. The flute arrangements are by the great Artur Verocai. A very special record.
Jorge Ben: Minha Estrella E Do Oriente
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[Tim Hayter]
David Byrne Came To Town
April 17, 2009
So the Talking Heads frontman hit London and all reports were it was amazing. Facebook was buzzing the next day and it seemed like half of London was there. Well at least half of London that I know. Was gutted to have missed the shows but glad to see he’s back in London in August playing at the Barbican. The following two tracks were on the re-release of ‘Remain In Light’. ‘Right Start’ is the demo groove of ‘Once In A Lifetime’ (best bassline ever award?) and ‘Double Groove’ shows Eno and Byrne hitting hard on their African influences.
Talking Heads: Right Start (Unfinished Outtake)
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Talking Heads: Double Groove (Unfinished Outtake)
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[Apiento]
When ‘Deluge’, Michael Karoli’s 1984 LP with Polly Eltes, got issued on CD it included a stack of previously unheard stuff. This is one of those unheard bits. Jaki Leibezeit’s on drums, playing a typically wonky drum pattern. Michael’s rhythm guitar is nice and summery, and Polly’s vocals have a nursery-rhyme simplicity.
Feelgood krautrock.
Michael Karoli & Polly Eltes: You’re The Driver
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[Tim Hayter]
Streatham Island Discs No.1 – Thomas Dolby: Airwaves
March 24, 2009
Tim Hayter is a friend and record collector of note who may or may not be familiar to some of you. With good ears and a wonderful record collection, he is a trusted source when it comes to quality music across the board. I have asked Tim to get involved in Test Pressing and post the odd song when he feels like it so here we go…
Thomas Dolby is clearly some kind of genius in the studio: you only need to hear production work with Prefab Sprout to realise that. But sometimes the technical genius gets in the way of his songwriting – listen to ‘Hyperactive’ or ‘She Blinded Me With Science’ for evidence. The gimmicks, for me, are distracting.
Not on this track though. It’s a demo of ‘Airwaves’ – cheap drum-machine, treated piano, bass & vocals. No gimmicks. I’ve no idea what it’s about, but I think it’s lovely. From 1980.
Thomas Dolby: Airwaves (Demo)
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[Tim Hayter]
Guerilla Records In Drum & Bass Influence Shocker
March 7, 2009
Lemon Sol were a band signed to London’s Guerilla Records that released a very heavily Detroit-influenced album named ‘Environmental Architecture’. The first track on the album was called ‘Sunflash’. This Danny Bukem took on to make one of the templates for intelligent drum and bass. Most people know Bukem’s record ‘Horizons’, but not many people have heard where he ‘took’ the inspiration from… Classic.
Lemon Sol: Sunflash
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[Apiento]
Exclusive Tracks: Freeway Audio
March 3, 2009
Post-modern classical music (stay with me) coming your way now on Test Pressing courtesy of Freeway Audio. I once set up a record label with some friends (we managed to release one record), but one of the projects I wanted to release was Freeway Audio, an artist I stumbled across via a friend in Sweden.
Freeway Audio is Jil Christensen. She studied at the New England Conservatory, wrote a piece for the American Symphony Orchestra, scored an opera, plays in a jazz ensemble, lives in North Carolina and makes modern classical music influenced by the likes of John Cage.
I asked Jil if we would be able to post some of her unpublished work and she has kindly given us four tracks from a soundtrack she produced. One of our favourite tracks here, ‘Maadi’, features vocals from Yazarah, a singer who has worked with Erykah Badu amongst others.
Anyway, you get the idea. This is forward thinking classical music, full of thought, and a melodic intent. Credit where credits due.
Freeway Audio ft. Yazarah: Maadi
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Freeway Audio: Zamalek
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Freeway Audio: Emmett Till
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Freeway Audio: Heliopolis
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[Apiento]
I Saw The Bloke From The Art Of Noise In Vision Express…
March 2, 2009
Title of this post sounds like a bad mix tape but I did. Weird thing is each time I go to Oxford Street, twice this year, I seem to see Paul Morley. Anyway, so from there it was a short stop to go and pick up a CD I have been meaning to get for a while. Anything described as ‘the Penguin Cafe Orchestra meets jazz’ sounds good to me, and even though I am six months late on this one, the Portico Quartet’s (above) ‘Knee-Deep In The North Sea’ seemed like something to support.
On listening, I am not sure I’d compare it to the PCO, but it does have a lovely little bonus track at the end, which lets be honest is something you don’t hear on jazz albums. Here it is…
Portico Quartet: Pompidou (Bonus Part)
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[Apiento]
Track: Lowrider
December 24, 2008
Out till next year now people. Have a lovely Christmas and great new year and see you on the other side. Take care now. Enjoy the strings on this one. x.
Track: I Only Have Eyes For You
December 22, 2008
Track: Flat Earth
December 21, 2008
Track: Satisfaction
December 20, 2008
Track: Kaze Wo Atsumete
December 19, 2008
Track: Evil
December 18, 2008
Track: Spirits Drifting
December 17, 2008
Track: Double Groove
December 16, 2008
Track: Joy & Heartbreak (Mellow Instrumental)
December 15, 2008
Track: Friendly Pressure
December 14, 2008
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