Mantronix - Take Your Time (Beat Me Down Mix)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29r66FaJz5E

Mantronix was a pioneer of 1980s dance music. His earlier output is synonymous with the Brooklyn based electro-funk movement. By the early 90s the Mantronix sound was recharged by the vibrancy of acid house and techno from that time.

In Take Your Time (Beat Me Down Mix) he created something accessible with the wonderfully soulful vocals of Wondress, electric piano/ rave synths and a catchy chorus. But it also had cutting edge rhythms, cold treble beats and clever multi-track vocal trickery. This all sat well thanks to the man's production talent. It's breezy air gives it a lightness and at the same time an energetic dance feel.

Many dance pop acts from the early 90s such as Soul II Soul and The Shamen probably took note, as did obscure techno experimentalists such as Autechre. Even Radiohead! When I hear the opening bars of Idioteque I'm reminded of this song and Mantronix.

The impressive production aside, what's truely unforgettable about the tune is its classic euphoric vibe and ecstatic rush. This was an anthem for a new 90s decade, an exciting time for dance music and being young (the recession aside!).

If I had to pick a New Year's Eve anthem then this is definitely it. Sure that on the cusp of 2013 it sounds dated, but to these ears there's been no other party like it.

Dirty Three - Toward The Low Sun

During my commutes to work in December, I like listening to Dirty Three. Their loose and meandering instrumental music, which is part serene part frenetic, reflects the cold weather and festive and reflective end of year mood rather well.

The focal point in all this is Warren Ellis' dazzling and effects laden violin playing. At times Ellis' playing is astounding and makes me think that he is the violin-playing equivalent of musical legends, totally in control of their instruments, such as Jimi Hendrix, Charles Mingus and Miles Davies. Like those artists, Ellis is very technically proficient and a master in improv. 
    
Despite the violin being a classical musical instrument and Ellis’ being inspired by traditional forms of ethnic folk, there's also guitar and drums in the line up (sometimes other traditional/ rock instruments too). Thankfully the other musicians are also exceptionally talented and the union works beautifully. Their guitarist Mick Turner is even an amazing painter! (See Mick's art here)

After long seven years, earlier this year Dirty Three finally released their 8th album Toward The Low Sun. Of course, as it's December I'm currently listening to it.

It's good to see that the band still manages to find new ways of expressing their unique and timeless sound by essentially sticking to the same musical vocabulary. The differences in their album are subtle and slight. Earlier albums such as Horse Stories, Ocean Songs and Whatever You Love You Are were carefully woven musical tapestries that were quite singular. Those records were largely based around  epic crescendos with wide-screen vision. The last three albums, including TTLS, are more varied in ideas, economical and contain conciser songs.

TTLS itself is less melodic and focuses more on the actual musicianship of the band and the intricacies of their unrivalled musical chemistry. It has a certain freshness, as if these musically experienced guys are re-acquainting themselves in a practice room after some time. It also builds on the diversity and intimacy of their previous two albums without straying far at all. The songs aren't terribly catchy but still memorable due to the skillful playing and their varied backdrops (e.g. psychedelic fuzz, gentle piano atmospherics and brittle acoustic folk). Like other Dirty Three records, I'm sure that TTLS will reveal itself more overtime. In the meantime, here's proof that Dirty Three still deserve attention and have more to say, than most bands, without using any words. 

Slowdive - Pygmalion

A few years before Radiohead threw a curveball with Kid A, an album considered to be a radical stylistic departure from the band’s established sonic template, another Thames Valley band called Slowdive did a "Kid A".

Unlike Radiohead, Slowdive were not popular with the critics and the masses. On the other hand, like Radiohead they headed in a certain direction over two albums which relied on emotive songwriting, soaring guitars and epic but anti-rock anthems. Then following career-defining albums, they turned the notion of "the band" upside down and released equally impressive (if not better) follow-up albums. These albums (Kid A and Pygmalion) were more studio-based and electronic leaning. Nevertheless, Radiohead and Slowdive made sonic advancements that were more logical than most think. The difference was that the progression was less linear and more forward-thinking than before.

Pygmalion was Slowdive's swan song and criminally overlooked as it was Slowdive and it refused to capture the Britpop zeitgeist of its time. Instead the band took inspiration from the thriving ambient techno movement led by innovators such as Aphex Twin, Seefeel and Global Communication. Similar to how Radiohead deconstructed the elements of OK Computer into a sparser template with Kid A, Slowdive boiled down the sound of their previous classic Souvlaki and buried it deep into the ground with ghostly samples, loops, minimal guitar, ambient orchestral instrumentation and muted cymbals and beats. What they created wasn’t a melodic collection of songs but a series of minimalist and spaced out soundscapes which sounded dramatic and, at times, folk.   

I often think of Pygmalion as a soundtrack to a seance! But there are also moments of lulling warmth which are similar to those on  two other classics - Laughing Stock by Talk Talk and Hex by Bark Psychosis. This isn't surprising as both records were major influences on Slowdive's brave new age world. Pygmalion also went a step further by pushing the well-crafted ambient rock aesthetic into a more minimal electronic sphere.    

Considering that at the time Slowdive were not getting on with each other, faced record label pressures, and no one from their ilk (except The Cranes) took a similar stylistic path, Pygmalion was a brave move. Ultimately it did lead to the band being dropped by Creation Records and disbanding. But not all was lost. Slowdive metamorphosed into the country and folk inspired Mojave 3. With Pygmalion they also left behind a memorably unique and influential masterpiece. Now, that was a far more impressive legacy than Britpop!

Unwound – Leaves Turn Inside You

An exciting week for Unwound fans as a website appeared promising a new live Unwound album and a load of recorded gigs for downloading. Lead singer/ guitarist Justin Trosper eloquently described it as an Unwound museum – "free admission but please visit the gift shop".

Those who followed Unwound, before they split up around the time of 9/11, will know that their new website is in keeping with their DIY punk rock tradition. Going back to their salad days in the very early 90s, Unwound were a product of the American post-hardcore scene. Around that time two other bands from that scene (Fugazi and Jawbox) released debut albums.Unlike Unwound, those bands were already veterans who formed out of the ashes of seminal 80s American hardcore punk bands. These were bands which undoubtedly influenced the kids that were Unwound.

During the 90s then, there was this trinity of sorts in the American post-hardcore scene - Fugazi, Jawbox and Unwound. These bands were prolific, relentlessly toured, put on exciting live shows and were highly influential. Then it all fizzled out near the turn of the millenium.

Jawbox were first to go; the spirit continuted without the energy and impact in various spin-off incarnations. Unwound and Fugazi carried on until 2001 and 2002 respectively and, incidentally, both released their last albums in the second half of 2001. These albums were stylistically similar in a sense. Although both bands consciously expanded their sound with each album and diverged away from each other sonically, they arrived at a similar end point. This was dominated by an apocalyptical and bleak aesthetic which, at the same time, contained a satisfyingly progressive punk rock edge. However, while both strong releases, I’d say that Leaves Turn Inside You was more interesting than The Argument (Fugazi’s last album).

LTIY was a double-album, three years in the making, which rocketed Unwound light years away from their original post-hardcore template. Like their previous releases it was dark and had early Gang of Four/ post-punk inspired dynamics. But this time around Unwound's sound was coloured by a kaleidoscopic array featuring haunting post-rock, Godspeed-esque cellos, shoegaze, 60s-inspired psychedelia, garage rock, Eno-esque ambience, krautrock, harpsichords and a whole lot more without sounding all over the place. Another bonus was that the vocals were better. These elements played very well to Unwound’s established strengths which included amazing drumming, skillful guitar/ bass interplay and mesmerizing instrumental breaks.

This is a record which I adore to bits and a very poetic end to the Unwound story. Back in the day who would have thought that after a few more albums Unwound would make a record surpassing their own heroes. With LTIY Unwound exceeded many expectations, most probably even their own. It's Unwound’s beautiful corpse and it's far better than it had any right to be.  

The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde

Believe it or not Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde just turned 20 years old!

In commemoration of not only one of the greatest West Coast hip-hop albums of the 90s, but also hip-hop history, a few interesting articles have emerged (check this). One of them mentions that three out of four members of the Bizarre Ride line-up appeared as  dancers in Michael Jackson’s Do You Remember The Time video! In addition, you are reliably informed that Bizarre Ride was a unique breath of fresh air which appeared at a time when the Native Tongues movement was beginning to stagnate and the Gangsta genre was gathering pace.

Listening to Bizarre Ride now, the youthful exuberance and prankster attitude still sound endearing. Recent artists such as Odd Future seem to have overstretched this to the point of parody. Bizarre Ride also came at a time when some of us were still in awe of the conscious rap of De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest; this is reciprocated here with moments of social awareness, introspection and sensitivity towards matters of the heart. Ironically these qualities have also been exhausted in recent hip-hop. However, this is what makes Bizarre Ride more special - the way it cleverly balances these conflicting elements is uniquely impressive. 3 Feet High and Rising may have laid the foundations for this dual hip-hop personality but The Pharcyde successfully pulled it off.

Their more mature but still worthy follow-up Labcabincalifornia (produced by the immensely talented and much missed J Dilla) didn't attempt to recapture the spirit. This was probably a wise move considering the inner band tensions and personal struggles getting in the way.

However, the chemistry of the original
Bizarre Ride line-up, fuelled by J Swift’s inventive scrapbook production, was a hip-hop force that couldn't be rivalled. Although it was destined for a short life span, it was undoubtedly a winning formula.

Model 500 - The Chase (Smooth Mix)

Thanks to a great article in Tiny Mix Tapes, Model 500 - the sci-fi themed alter-ego of Detroit techno forefather Juan Atkins - recently appeared on my radar.

Model 500's career-spanning Classics sounds as refreshing as The Best of Mantronix (1985-1999) did when I discovered it 10 years ago. Quite an achievement as electronic compilations don't always stand the test of time and can easily sounded dated following constant evolutions in their genre.  

The Chase (Smooth mix) is not strictly representative of Model 500’s idiosyncratic and futurist techno but it's my favourite Classics moment. The track seamlessly blends a range of genres and uses exotic sounding beats in creating something cohesive and transcendent. It’s fun to listen to with its juxtaposition of lounge inspired playfulness and complex jazz grooves. Recent acts such as Flying Lotus and Thundercat have gone down similar avenues but not managed to reach these heights.

The way that the electronic krautrock influence is merged with warm organic sounds also reminds me of Tortoise/ the ambient Chicago post-rock scene and Stereolab. Again, this track is ahead of the game as it oozes soul.

Mutant techno-jazz funk or whatever it is, The Chase (Smooth) truly was way ahead of its time.

Sonic Youth - Evol

Like many Generation X music fans, I grew up on Sonic Youth and different forms of their white noise will be locked inside my brain forever. Those with remote knowledge of them must have heard countless times that they revolutionised the indie/ colleage rock landscape after the post-punk years.  

I didn't join the party until I was 16. This was in the mid 90s when the UK indie scene was saturated with bands obsessed with them. This was a much needed antidotal reaction to Britpop. Due to their cross-generational appeal and a vast body of work, I continually discovered bits of their backcatalogue well into my early 20s and arrived at Evol when I was 20.  

This is the SY record that I enjoy re-visiting the most. There's something remarkable about its woozy production. It sounds very mid-80s, not that you can categorically say what a mid-80s underground rock record should sound like. To me it's a mid-80s sound as it has a distant and detached feel, as if you are listening to a playback of compositions from a time in your life where you have fragmented memories (which I do as I was only 6 when the record was released!). It also conveys its era through its lyrics which are littered with popular culture references. I often think of Evol as the big counter-culture sound of rebellion against mid-80s American pomp - a time when the mainstream was overpopulated with hair metal, yuppies and jocks.

Evol also seems to hold a special place in SY's back catalogue which has become more apparent in retrospect. The record marked a new chapter for the band with an awesome new drummer, their embrace of melody and more conventional song structure. In many ways the sound was still there with the droning layers of static, hurricane like noise and chainsaw guitars. However, more colour was added to the sonic canvass. You still had songs which conjured warped images of Americana or some indie horror film, but this time it was in technicolour. Some of the songs were pretty catchy too.

This was also where one of the great indie trilogies began (Evol, Sister and Daydream Nation). But regardless of its legacies, simply put Evol is a frighteningly compelling place to visit.