Chart Attack
I've been long overdue in getting a chart on here, so I've decided to expand the usual ten out into twenty to mask my laziness. Also, don't forget that it's Mutant Pop this friday! All the info's here for anyone near Brizzle.
Richard Carnage's Current Top 20
1) DJ HARVEY - SARCASTIC MIX SAMPLER // BOOTLEG Dodgy double 12" bootleg featuring full tracks from DJ Harvey's now legendary 'Sarcastic Disco' mix, including brilliance from Severed Heads, Michael Shrieve, Claudja Barry, Amadeo, Double, Logic System.... Just buy it, basically!
2) JOHN TEJADA - THE END OF IT ALL // PALETTE Three words. Mutant Pop anthem. Check it out near the end of my new ‘Don’t Techno For An Answer’ mix (link on the sidebar). I’ve also got round to archiving all the previous mixes on there, so have a gander if you haven’t downloaded them before.
3 & 4) PINCH - QAWWALI / THE PUNISHER // PLANET MU Both versions of Pinch’s Planet Mu debut are still getting rotation chez Carnage. The VIP mix will have you feeling like you’re in a little bubble of bass until the synths that Ivan Smagghe would kill for cut in, but you just can’t beat the grace and style of every element of the original mix. Pure dubstep bliss! There is no doubt in my mind that this will be one of my top 20 records of 2006. Basically, buy the 12”! ‘The Punisher’ is a totally different kettle of fish. Imagine if Pharrell saw fit to collaborate with Skream, they’d come out with something like that. Vicious dancefloor ready bass complimented by all the clicks and cuts that you’d expect to come from the Neptunes man. Dancefloor gem, but it’s just not on the same level as Qawwali. But then again, what is?
Download:
Pinch – Qawwali // Planet Mu
5) LINDSTROM - A BLAST OF LOSER (MUNGOLIAN JET SET 9406 REMIX) // FEEDELITY Absolutely stonking 13 minute remix of epic proportions that features on the new Feedelity Remixed 12” along with a new Brennan Green mix. If Matt Edwards’ Rekid output is now considered smack-house, then this track’s taking us one step closer to ‘smack-neo-trance’. But seriously, your dancefloor needs this record. Another Lindstrom related record that’s worth your attention is the long awaited DJ Harvey remix of Music (In My Mind). Harvey gives the sultry cosmic vibe that extra 4/4 kick and the result is simply sublime italo disco.
6) BETTY BOTOX - G4 FAGGOT LP // BOTOX Optimo's Twitch trannies it up with his Betty Botox pseudonym on this collection of 4/4'd edits featuring tracks from Lipps Inc, Sister Sledge, Don Armando, Can, Xymox, and Cabaret Voltaire. Top drawer edit action that'll find its way into many different styles of sets. If anyone could source me a vinyl copy of 2005's 'The World Of Betty Botox', or 2004's 'Kraut EP', then I'd be very appreciative!
7) LOCODICE - SEEING THROUGH SHADOWS // M_NUS
An superb exercise in the build and release of tension on the dancefloor to ensure optimum gurn factor, Locodice's latest has been on constant rotation over at Tape Towers ever since me and Soft witnessed Luciano decimate Shoreditch's T-Bar with it.
8) THE INFADELS - THE GIRL THAT SPEAKS NO WORDS (NIGHTMOVES REMIX) // WALL OF SOUND
Polishing a turd, anyone? Yes, following on from their Klaxons mix, Kitsune favourites Nightmoves are edging their way into favour with indie record labels across the land by showing what they can do when presented with a bag of shite like The Infadels. Electro-house meets dub disco on this mix that's less straightforward than their Klaxons mixes, but dancefloor dynamite all the same.
9) POPNONAME - ON THE RUN // ITALIC
Picked this up from Replay a few months back and it’s just quality Balearic techno with a tastefully trancey Superpitcher-esque element to it. An early morning anthem if I ever heard one.
Download:
Popnoname – On The Run // Italic
10) PATRICK COWLEY - DANCEFLOOR CLASSICS // BOOTLEG Come to think of it, I have been buying a lot of very dodgy records lately, haven’t I? However, when you’ve got all of Patrick’s classics there on two 12”s, there’s very little to complain about. You’ve got his ‘I Feel Love’ remix, the ultra-anthemic ‘Get A Little’, and probably his best work, ‘Sea Hunt’…. Pure disco magic! Just check the sound of that bass and synth combo about four and a half minutes in for an example of the little flourishes that made the man the legend that he was.
Download:
Patrick Cowley – Sea Hunt // Megatone
11 & 12) THE CHAMP'S BOYS ORCHESTRA - TUBULAR BELLS (COSMIC MIX) & ESCAPE FROM NY - FIRE IN MY HEART (INST. DUB VERSION) // SUPREME These two tracks both feature on the Disco Supreme compilation that was released recently on Todd Terje’s label. Yes, it’s a bit pricey for 5 tracks (and the vinyl’s mis-labelled), but these edits make it all worth the money. Having Tubular Bells reconstructed as an old school disco booty-shaker does seem like an AWFUL idea on paper, but it’s just pulled off so well that you can’t help but not get sucked into the bass, the brass, the strings… it’s all just perfect. Ever wondered what The Human League would’ve sounded like if they ‘went Balearic’? Fire In My Heart will answer all your questions, and as an added bonus you’ve got that killer boompty bassline. If you like your disco, then this is an essential purchase.
Download:
The Champ's Boys Orchestra - Tubular Bells (Cosmic Mix) // Supreme
13) VILLALOBOS - WHAT YOU SAY IS MORE THAN I CAN SAY (ISOLEE REMIXES) // SISTERPHUNK Originally appearing as an exclusive track on Playhouse's Famous When Dead III compilation, Isolee's mix of one of Ricardo's landmark tracks does the difficult job of bettering the fantastic original, toughening it up, turning it on it's head, and kicking it up its arse. Essential stuff, but you're probably better off buying the Playhouse triple LP for value for other great tracks from Losoul, Thomas Melchior and Roman Flugel.
Download:
Ricardo Villalobos - What You Say Is More Than I Can Say (Isolee Remix) // Sisterphunk
14) SHANNON - LET THE MUSIC PLAY // EMERGENCY Picked this up from Juno recently after seeing Greg Wilson use it to induce mass hysteria back in January at our sadly departed System night. I haven’t looked into it being a dodgy repress, but it certainly looks like it! It doesn’t really matter when you can just slip this on, get it at +3 and watch the proper electro-disco spread those good vibes.
15) MORGAN GEIST - MOST OF ALL (FT. JEREMY GREENSPAN) // ENVIRON Geisty's back with lusher orchestration than ever on this collaboration with Junior Boys' Jeremy Greenspan. His emotive crooning suits Geist's soulfully smooth disco really well, but you've got the instrumental and a top b-side on the flip if that sort of thing's not your bag.
16) DELIA GONZALES & GAVIN RUSSOM - RELEVEE (DFA REMIX) // DFA I feel that I’ve got to stick up for this mix a little, as it’s been unfairly overshadowed by the monstrous techno beast that is the fantastic Carl Craig mix. The DFA offer up a an absolute gem that they’ve obviously put a lot of time and effort into with the extra vocals and elaborate disco drums (with the anticipation and long wait for the release, is it that surprising?) that just takes you up to the next level when those pianos kick in. It’s the DFA at their dub disco best. But you’ve all already got this record, haven’t you? Also worth checking, but not necessarily playing out is their neon Tokyo synth odyssey reworking of Hot Chip’s ‘Colours’ which you can get from over at Headphone Sex.
17) AVIDA - IL GRILLO E LA FORMICA // CREME ORGANISATION You may have misplaced Maurizio Dami a.k.a. Alexander Robotnick (pictured right) into the po-faced producer box following the re-release of his smack-anthem 'Dark Side Of The Spoon' on Creme, but in fact nothing could be further from the truth. Here he returns with tracks from the year previous to 'Dark Side...', and with a title like this (Formica grills? What? - EDIT: I've actually just been notified that it actually means 'The Cricket And The Ant', which is slightly less nonsensical) you can guess that it's not going to be on the same epic emotional level, but everyone loves a bit of wonky cheap italo, don't they?
Download:
Avida - Vorrei Tanto // Creme Organisation
18) MONOLAKE - PLUMBICON (SLEEPARCHIVE INTERPRETATION) // MONOLAKE/IMBALANCE COMPUTER MUSIC I’m only really posting this because I want an excuse to mention that the next Underscore night will be hosting minimal masters Sleeparchive at The Tube in Bristol on September 23rd. You have to love them just due to the fact that they’re all about proper minimal techno focusing on a limited but clinical sound palette, and this remix of Monolake is a perfect example of that. I’ll post the date closer to the time, but if you’re going, I’ll definitely see you at the front!
Download:
Monolake – Plumbicon (Sleeparchive Interpretation) // Monolake/Imbalance Computer Music
19) HENRIK SCHWARZ - JIMIS 2006 (MIX 3) // DIAMONDS & PEARLS Ben posted this on Skull Juice about a week ago, and its menacing acid synth has been pleasing me very much since then. Deep as you like, but a lot more beefy than Schwarz’s usual jazzy stylings, and that’s not a bad thing at all. Apparently it's a reworking of a track that he did a whole ten years ago! Also worth checking is Osunlade’s wonky tribal techno mix of Henrik’s ‘Leave My Head Alone Brain’.
20) CHROMATICS - NITE/GLASS SLIPPER // TROUBLEMAN UNLIMITED After hearing some of the demo tracks that had been flying around on XXJFG and Daughters Of Invention, I have to say that I wasn’t that impressed by Chromatics’ material. Yes, the ideas were there (see the monged cosmic strut of ‘Physica’), but it just sounded so wrong! However, the properly recorded material has really been floating my boat over the past few months. Still, some of the tracks wonder into territory that’s a little bit unnecessarily lo-fi (see ‘The Guest’), but when they hit their stride on these two tracks they really do create their own special amalgamation of italo disco and electroclash. Any idea who’s doing the production for them, anyone?
Download:
Chromatics – Glass Slipper // Troubleman Unlimited
Richard Carnage's Current Top 20
1) DJ HARVEY - SARCASTIC MIX SAMPLER // BOOTLEG Dodgy double 12" bootleg featuring full tracks from DJ Harvey's now legendary 'Sarcastic Disco' mix, including brilliance from Severed Heads, Michael Shrieve, Claudja Barry, Amadeo, Double, Logic System.... Just buy it, basically!2) JOHN TEJADA - THE END OF IT ALL // PALETTE Three words. Mutant Pop anthem. Check it out near the end of my new ‘Don’t Techno For An Answer’ mix (link on the sidebar). I’ve also got round to archiving all the previous mixes on there, so have a gander if you haven’t downloaded them before.
3 & 4) PINCH - QAWWALI / THE PUNISHER // PLANET MU Both versions of Pinch’s Planet Mu debut are still getting rotation chez Carnage. The VIP mix will have you feeling like you’re in a little bubble of bass until the synths that Ivan Smagghe would kill for cut in, but you just can’t beat the grace and style of every element of the original mix. Pure dubstep bliss! There is no doubt in my mind that this will be one of my top 20 records of 2006. Basically, buy the 12”! ‘The Punisher’ is a totally different kettle of fish. Imagine if Pharrell saw fit to collaborate with Skream, they’d come out with something like that. Vicious dancefloor ready bass complimented by all the clicks and cuts that you’d expect to come from the Neptunes man. Dancefloor gem, but it’s just not on the same level as Qawwali. But then again, what is?Download:
Pinch – Qawwali // Planet Mu
5) LINDSTROM - A BLAST OF LOSER (MUNGOLIAN JET SET 9406 REMIX) // FEEDELITY Absolutely stonking 13 minute remix of epic proportions that features on the new Feedelity Remixed 12” along with a new Brennan Green mix. If Matt Edwards’ Rekid output is now considered smack-house, then this track’s taking us one step closer to ‘smack-neo-trance’. But seriously, your dancefloor needs this record. Another Lindstrom related record that’s worth your attention is the long awaited DJ Harvey remix of Music (In My Mind). Harvey gives the sultry cosmic vibe that extra 4/4 kick and the result is simply sublime italo disco.
6) BETTY BOTOX - G4 FAGGOT LP // BOTOX Optimo's Twitch trannies it up with his Betty Botox pseudonym on this collection of 4/4'd edits featuring tracks from Lipps Inc, Sister Sledge, Don Armando, Can, Xymox, and Cabaret Voltaire. Top drawer edit action that'll find its way into many different styles of sets. If anyone could source me a vinyl copy of 2005's 'The World Of Betty Botox', or 2004's 'Kraut EP', then I'd be very appreciative!7) LOCODICE - SEEING THROUGH SHADOWS // M_NUS
An superb exercise in the build and release of tension on the dancefloor to ensure optimum gurn factor, Locodice's latest has been on constant rotation over at Tape Towers ever since me and Soft witnessed Luciano decimate Shoreditch's T-Bar with it.
8) THE INFADELS - THE GIRL THAT SPEAKS NO WORDS (NIGHTMOVES REMIX) // WALL OF SOUND
Polishing a turd, anyone? Yes, following on from their Klaxons mix, Kitsune favourites Nightmoves are edging their way into favour with indie record labels across the land by showing what they can do when presented with a bag of shite like The Infadels. Electro-house meets dub disco on this mix that's less straightforward than their Klaxons mixes, but dancefloor dynamite all the same.
9) POPNONAME - ON THE RUN // ITALICPicked this up from Replay a few months back and it’s just quality Balearic techno with a tastefully trancey Superpitcher-esque element to it. An early morning anthem if I ever heard one.
Download:
Popnoname – On The Run // Italic
10) PATRICK COWLEY - DANCEFLOOR CLASSICS // BOOTLEG Come to think of it, I have been buying a lot of very dodgy records lately, haven’t I? However, when you’ve got all of Patrick’s classics there on two 12”s, there’s very little to complain about. You’ve got his ‘I Feel Love’ remix, the ultra-anthemic ‘Get A Little’, and probably his best work, ‘Sea Hunt’…. Pure disco magic! Just check the sound of that bass and synth combo about four and a half minutes in for an example of the little flourishes that made the man the legend that he was.
Download:
Patrick Cowley – Sea Hunt // Megatone
11 & 12) THE CHAMP'S BOYS ORCHESTRA - TUBULAR BELLS (COSMIC MIX) & ESCAPE FROM NY - FIRE IN MY HEART (INST. DUB VERSION) // SUPREME These two tracks both feature on the Disco Supreme compilation that was released recently on Todd Terje’s label. Yes, it’s a bit pricey for 5 tracks (and the vinyl’s mis-labelled), but these edits make it all worth the money. Having Tubular Bells reconstructed as an old school disco booty-shaker does seem like an AWFUL idea on paper, but it’s just pulled off so well that you can’t help but not get sucked into the bass, the brass, the strings… it’s all just perfect. Ever wondered what The Human League would’ve sounded like if they ‘went Balearic’? Fire In My Heart will answer all your questions, and as an added bonus you’ve got that killer boompty bassline. If you like your disco, then this is an essential purchase.Download:
The Champ's Boys Orchestra - Tubular Bells (Cosmic Mix) // Supreme
13) VILLALOBOS - WHAT YOU SAY IS MORE THAN I CAN SAY (ISOLEE REMIXES) // SISTERPHUNK Originally appearing as an exclusive track on Playhouse's Famous When Dead III compilation, Isolee's mix of one of Ricardo's landmark tracks does the difficult job of bettering the fantastic original, toughening it up, turning it on it's head, and kicking it up its arse. Essential stuff, but you're probably better off buying the Playhouse triple LP for value for other great tracks from Losoul, Thomas Melchior and Roman Flugel.
Download:
Ricardo Villalobos - What You Say Is More Than I Can Say (Isolee Remix) // Sisterphunk
14) SHANNON - LET THE MUSIC PLAY // EMERGENCY Picked this up from Juno recently after seeing Greg Wilson use it to induce mass hysteria back in January at our sadly departed System night. I haven’t looked into it being a dodgy repress, but it certainly looks like it! It doesn’t really matter when you can just slip this on, get it at +3 and watch the proper electro-disco spread those good vibes.
15) MORGAN GEIST - MOST OF ALL (FT. JEREMY GREENSPAN) // ENVIRON Geisty's back with lusher orchestration than ever on this collaboration with Junior Boys' Jeremy Greenspan. His emotive crooning suits Geist's soulfully smooth disco really well, but you've got the instrumental and a top b-side on the flip if that sort of thing's not your bag.
16) DELIA GONZALES & GAVIN RUSSOM - RELEVEE (DFA REMIX) // DFA I feel that I’ve got to stick up for this mix a little, as it’s been unfairly overshadowed by the monstrous techno beast that is the fantastic Carl Craig mix. The DFA offer up a an absolute gem that they’ve obviously put a lot of time and effort into with the extra vocals and elaborate disco drums (with the anticipation and long wait for the release, is it that surprising?) that just takes you up to the next level when those pianos kick in. It’s the DFA at their dub disco best. But you’ve all already got this record, haven’t you? Also worth checking, but not necessarily playing out is their neon Tokyo synth odyssey reworking of Hot Chip’s ‘Colours’ which you can get from over at Headphone Sex.
17) AVIDA - IL GRILLO E LA FORMICA // CREME ORGANISATION You may have misplaced Maurizio Dami a.k.a. Alexander Robotnick (pictured right) into the po-faced producer box following the re-release of his smack-anthem 'Dark Side Of The Spoon' on Creme, but in fact nothing could be further from the truth. Here he returns with tracks from the year previous to 'Dark Side...', and with a title like this (Formica grills? What? - EDIT: I've actually just been notified that it actually means 'The Cricket And The Ant', which is slightly less nonsensical) you can guess that it's not going to be on the same epic emotional level, but everyone loves a bit of wonky cheap italo, don't they?Download:
Avida - Vorrei Tanto // Creme Organisation
18) MONOLAKE - PLUMBICON (SLEEPARCHIVE INTERPRETATION) // MONOLAKE/IMBALANCE COMPUTER MUSIC I’m only really posting this because I want an excuse to mention that the next Underscore night will be hosting minimal masters Sleeparchive at The Tube in Bristol on September 23rd. You have to love them just due to the fact that they’re all about proper minimal techno focusing on a limited but clinical sound palette, and this remix of Monolake is a perfect example of that. I’ll post the date closer to the time, but if you’re going, I’ll definitely see you at the front!
Download:
Monolake – Plumbicon (Sleeparchive Interpretation) // Monolake/Imbalance Computer Music
19) HENRIK SCHWARZ - JIMIS 2006 (MIX 3) // DIAMONDS & PEARLS Ben posted this on Skull Juice about a week ago, and its menacing acid synth has been pleasing me very much since then. Deep as you like, but a lot more beefy than Schwarz’s usual jazzy stylings, and that’s not a bad thing at all. Apparently it's a reworking of a track that he did a whole ten years ago! Also worth checking is Osunlade’s wonky tribal techno mix of Henrik’s ‘Leave My Head Alone Brain’.
20) CHROMATICS - NITE/GLASS SLIPPER // TROUBLEMAN UNLIMITED After hearing some of the demo tracks that had been flying around on XXJFG and Daughters Of Invention, I have to say that I wasn’t that impressed by Chromatics’ material. Yes, the ideas were there (see the monged cosmic strut of ‘Physica’), but it just sounded so wrong! However, the properly recorded material has really been floating my boat over the past few months. Still, some of the tracks wonder into territory that’s a little bit unnecessarily lo-fi (see ‘The Guest’), but when they hit their stride on these two tracks they really do create their own special amalgamation of italo disco and electroclash. Any idea who’s doing the production for them, anyone?
Download:
Chromatics – Glass Slipper // Troubleman Unlimited
posted by Richard Carnage at 7:13 PM
17 Comments:
Brutal Selection. Thanks as always for the great music.
I've been wondering if the DJ Harvey release would live up to all the hype.. will go fork out the cash on the basis of this tape big-up.
Sea Hunt is an all time fave.. been meaning to post the Automan on DC for a while.
'Il grillo e la formica' means 'The Cricket And The Ant'
ciao
Great chart, indeed.
Hello!
Just to say - we've got sleeparchive at the TUBE in bristol, not cosies!
it's still gonna be ace though
matt //under_score
You got a date for it, Matt? Post it on here and I'll stick it on the main text. Cheers!
Hector/Electrobot - Cheers guys.
Maxcar - Excuse my idiocy. I never did study any Italian!
Kev - As you'd expect, the Harvey comp is superb. You'd be hard pressed to find a lot of the tracks on vinyl, and if you did you'd be paying through the teeth for them. A really nice sunny Sunday afternoon's listening if you've got the time. That Automan version's an extended edit as well, isn't it?
I have heard that betty/twitch is going to repress 'the world of betty botox release'.
Great, great post. I never knew that Twitch was Betty. I have no clue how I missed that. As for the Chromatics, I also recommend their Healer/Witness 12" on Troubleman from last year. It's definitely on par with the Nite 12". I believe Johnny Jewel of Glass Candy is doing the production for them in their new Italo/Electro influenced incarnation.
Morra - Cheers for the heads up about the repress. I'll pick one up when they become available.
Matt - Not really surprising that JJ is doing the production on the Chromatics... it sounds a lot better than a lot of the GC stuff though!
Also, I'm really interested to hear people's thoughts on the Pinch track that I posted up, especially non-dubstep listeners. Like I said, it's one of the tracks of the year so far. Best thing to come out of Brizzle, anyway!
i think the interesting thing about chromatics/ glass candy is that you basically get to hear the development of the song all the way thru. there are myriad alternate versions. some will like that and some won't. i've found myself liking the sound of some of the demos more than the 12s, to tell you the truth. also, i think it's worth it to note that these guys seem to be making synthesizer dance music from a pretty raw sounding punk(ish) background, not necessarily a straight up dance background. so i think there's a different approach and of course a different result - that some may hear as wrong (and i do get what you mean) and others will find charm and intimacy that isn't always apparent in perfectly crafted dance music.
but i mean, 'the raincoats' is one of my fave records of all time and lots of people i know think that sounds like ass, soooo .... you get where i'm coming from.
I hear ya, Jaime. You're talking to an indie kid convert here, so I do hope that I can appreciate both sides of the coin. I do get what you're saying - sometimes when the sound's a bit too clinical it just feels flat, and the live raw element can sometimes capture the humanity of the recording. However, sometimes the throb of a well recorded synth can just give it that almost mechanised emotional oomph that a poorly produced sound just couldn't muster.
If you've got any good demos of either band that I haven't heard (and believe me, I probably haven't), then whack em up here or on DoI (you little Chromatics fiend, you!).
aw crap! not "fiend"!
but just as an example, i've liked both the demos of 'healer' (chromatics) and 'life after sundown' (glass candy) more than the 12s ... but anyway, yeah, when they nail it like they do on 'nite' and 'glass slipper' they REALLY nail it.
aaarrrghhh.... I must have just missed the villalobos remix. damnit damnit damnit. link expired.
hey rich,
23rd september at the tube, bristol is the date.
Cheers Matt - I'll get something up about it soon and I'll edit this post.
Just to say - we've got sleeparchive at the TUBE in bristol, not cosies!
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