Extra Extra

I've got this terrible cough, and apart from making me feel like I have a live rat trapped in my throat, trying to scratch its way out, all it really does is remind me how much I want a cigarette. I then have a cigarette, what with my willpower being exceedingly low, and set off another cycle of rat-scratching. Vicious. Circle.

Anyway, thought I'd come back and write some more this evening, given that my last post consisted mainly of slapstick tales of drunkenness and ruminations on an uncertain summer to come...Some of what I'm going to post in this lil' session has, for sure, appeared on other blogs in the last couple of days. Apologies for that; I would refrain from posting 'em at all, but I've sitting on a couple of the forthcoming tracks for a while, and I want to say a few words about 'em, so....It seems appropriate, before I jump in, to express my gratitude, and direct you to, the blogging galactacos that are Skull Juice, 24 Hours and Oh My Gosh. If you're a regular here, then you're almost certainly a regular there, but if you're not may I take this opportunity to humbly suggest that you FUCKING CHECK THEM OUT.

Erol's remix of Hot Chip's 'I Was A Boy From School' is knocking around webspace; unfortunately, the hen's teeth 12" has already sold out of Phonica (before they even managed to upload the details properly onto their webshop...), so you might want to keep an eye on City 16 for one of the limited promos, or wait the ten or eleven years that will elapse before the official release. It's a fine piece of work by Alkan, with the anticipated DFA influence (it's heavily reminiscent, in some ways, of Murphy & Goldsworthy's mix of 'Far From Home') and a sound palette very much indebted to EA's Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve psych-re-edit project. A far gurn from the Bugged Out!-bating electro grenades that we usually associate with our Trashman, the whole thing's a ruddy wonderful surprise - woozy and intricate and adventurous, and probably the first thing I'll put on the stereo when I start smoking draw again next month. Now that's praise.

Now Ben, one half of the aforementioned Skull Juicers, unveiled two tracks that are fast becoming favourites of my season so far...One of them I'd already heard, the lead track on Oxia's forthcoming Speicher for Kompakt, Oxia being a Frenchman who's previously released on Intec and Goodlife. It's nice to see the series receiving a bit of life; ever since the Wighnomys' momentous 'Wombat', the princely offshoot has seemed to disappear from view - with what I would think of as traditionally Speicher fare turning up either on the main label (Axel Bartsch's wicked 'Light in the Dark', for instance) or on the now heartily established K2 imprint. I think I'm right in saying that the merciless chugger of an Orb track which appeared on Speicher 33, 'God Less America', was more of a headache than a revelation. So anyway, Kompakt Extra is most definitely back, and with the next one being helmed by none other than Superpitcher. Can't wait. To be honest, Kompakt is really warming up at the moment; 'tis the season to bring out all your best tunes, what with summer looming ever nearer (thank Christ). There's a Koze LP remix pack on its way, and new K2 fodder from Steadycam and Herve AK, not to mention the very appealing sounding 'Music to Fall Asleep' CD by Klimek. Basically, the good ship is once again ready to sail...my only question is, where's the new production by Michael Mayer (pictured way up top)? Now some people don't rate Mayer as a producer, which is just silly, 'cos he has a dancefloor finesse and an enviable knowledge of how to make things trancey and jackin' at the same time - basically, he has a distinctive production style, all of his own, which is a rare thing in this world. His LP, Touch, was a little weak, I'll admit, coming over like a John Digweed prog album from 1996, but it concealed a hidden gem in 'Neue Luthersche Fraktur' and spawned a Balearic monster in the unstoppable 'Lovefood'. Since then, we've had the Speicher 28 he did with Reinhard Voigt ('Sky Dumont') which was all peak-time rave gloriousness, the evil (in more ways than one) remix of Baxendale and a remix of Depeche Mode ('Precious'). I think it's time Michael brought out a monster Speicher bearing his own hallowed name, to kick the summer into action. In the meantime, here's the Oxia track from the forthcoming Speicher 34 - a track very much in thrall to the melodic progressions of Holden's mix of 'The Sky Was Pink' but enough going on with the tough, clicky rhythm track to transcend the imposture; this is a functional diamond that's understandably already a staple in the sets of Mayer and Lazarus. TRENDY TRANCE LIVES!!!!

Download:
Oxia - Domino // Kompakt Extra

More later, I have to go and do some stuff.
P.S. Erol's mix of Hot Chip really is something. Sniff it out.