Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: african, claude mono, easy tempo, el ritmo, el ritmo moderno, italian library, latin
Your Tuesday Night Hi Fi journey. Cocktails and grooves live from the El Ritmo Penthouse Suite.
Italian Library / Easy Tempo / Brazillian Funk ‘n Bossa / Turkish Beat / Africa Sounds / More
with Claude Mono
LISTEN
Show re-stream here
HQ Mixcloud here (just the music)
PLAYLIST
Cy Coleman – Playboy Theme – Playboy After Dark
Lesiman – Bagliori – Easy Tempo Volume 5
Lesiman – Moto Centripeto – Here and Now Vol 1
Piero Umilani – Chaser – II Copo OST – 1974
Gianni Oddi – Geronimo – Oddi 1973
Modulo5 – Softly Sonora – Soundsational Movements – 2007 (Irma La Douce)
Jose Villamor – Angola Deus – La Nuova Dimensione – 1969
Troubleman feat. Nina Miranda – Paz – Time Out of Mind – 2004
The Soul Fantastics – El Mismo – The Soul Fantastics – 1971 – Panama!2 Comp
Ive Mendes – A Beira Mar (Sao Benitez Mix) – Brazillian Beats Vol 3
Sunlightsquare – I Believe in Miracles (Original Havana Mix)
Tandy Love – Asia Subs Kenya – Tandy Love Presents Turk Jerk Anatolian Anagrams
The Bartender – Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho – Classic Bollywood Shaken Not Stirred
Kit Sebastian – Tyranny 20 – Mantra Moderne
Kit Sebastian – Durma – Mantra Moderne
Ju-Par Universal Orchestra – Flute Salad – Mood and Grooves
Tihomir Pop Asanovic – Hot Pants Road – Good God
Sven Wunder – Take A Break – Late Again
Piero Umiliani – Chaser – Ill Corpo
I Robots – Tuba Tauba – AfricaMore The Afro-funk side of Italy (1973-1978) Four Flies
Mombasa – Nairobi – Racubah! A Collection Of Modern Afro Rhythms
Larry Manteca – Zombie Mandingo – Zombie Mandingo
The Sorcerers – Summoning The Monkey God – In Seach Of The Lost City of the Monkey God
Alessandro Alassandroni – Afro Darkness – Afro Discoteka
Dorothy Ashby – Joyful Grass & Grape – The Rubáiyát Of Dorothy Ashby
Sven Wunder – Bamboo and Rocks – Wabi Sabi
Dorothy Ashby – Moving Finger – The Rubáiyát Of Dorothy Ashby
Quantic & his Combo Barbaro – The Dreaming Mind PT1 – Tradition in Transition
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: beats, bossa, claude mono, el ritmo, exotica, latin, library, mixtape, rtrfm
THE EXOTIC MOODS OF EL RITMO
A ‘Hi Fi Journey’ into spicy sounds with Claude Mono
EXOTICA – BOSSA – LIBRARY – BEATS
as broadcast on RTRFM
LISTEN
Show re-stream here
HQ Mixtape <coming soon>
PLAYLIST
Les Baxter – Shadow of Love / The Enchanted Reef – The Soul of the Drums
Martin Denny – Quiet Village – The Exotic Sounds of Martin Denny
Les Baxter with Bas Sheva – Lust – The Passions
Martin Denny – The Girlfriend Of The Whirling Dervish – Exotic Percussion
Ixtahuele – Mareld (2021 version)
Combustible Edison – Breakfast at Dennys – Isle of the Lost Demos
Sukia – Amok – Contacto Espacial Con El Tercer Sexo
Tipsy – Tuatara – Trip Tease
Nino Nardini – Mowgli – Jungle Obsession
Nino Nardini – Tropical Call – Jungle Obsession
The Karminsky Experience – Departures – The Power of Suggestion
Sven Libaek – Misty Canyon – My Thing
The Alan Lorber Orchestra – Mas Que Nada
Muhavisia Ravi Hatched and the Indo Jazz Following – Bombay Palace
Bei Bei and Shawn Lee – East – Beauty and the Beats
Nicola Conte – Danubian – Other Directions
Larry Manteca – UFO Bossa
Tangoterje – Aquarius (George Shearing re-edit)
Allessandro Allessandroni – Afro Darkness (LUCA quirky version)
Neno Exporta Som – Deixa a Tristeza
Mario Castro Neves & Samba S A – Candomble
The Kevin Fingier Collective ft Josie Dias – Um Brilho Novo
The Kevin Fingier Collective ft Josie Dias – Rua Nova Barao
Paul and Mark – Guaio A Caracas
Arthur Verocai – Sylvia (Live) – Jazz Esta Morto
Arthur Verocai – O Mapa – Arthur Verocai
Kit Sebastian – Melodi Pt1 and Pt2
Sven Wunder – Ultramarine – Late Again
Sven Wunder – Chamomile – Eastern Flower
Sven Wunder – Take A Break – Late Again
La Luz – Oh Blue – La Luz The Instrumentals
Sven Wunder – En Plein Air – Natura Morta
Soledad Miranda – La Verdad
WANT MORE
You might enjoy
IN SEARCH OF THE EXOTIC SOUNDS OF THE KARMINSKY EXPERIENCE INC.
Listen here
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: anton, anton maz, black grape, central station design, claude mono, happy mondays, rtrfm, shaun ryder, siamese dream, yummy fur
Yippee-ippee-ay-ay-ay-yey-yey
The Siamese Dream Happy Mondays Special
Your hosts…
Claude Mono
Anton Maz (spiritually there but at home looking after his unwell family)
Yippee-ippee-ay-ay-ay-yey-yey
Want a pre-party party?
Happy Mondays play Metropolis next Wed 25/10
Siamese Dream are play Happy Mondays Mon 23/10
Claude and Anton hit the studio in their best Joe Bloggs and take a deep dive with remixes, obscurities and rave on bangers plus mad tales of hazy crazy days
LISTEN
Show re-stream here
Spotify Playlist here – the tracks we played plus some other classics
PLAYLIST
Siamese Dream Happy Mondays Intro
Katie Puckrick – Shaun Ryder (The Word 1992)
Happy Mondays – Little Matchstick Owen
Happy Mondays – The Egg
Interview Shaun Ryder and Karl Denver
Happy Mondays – Lazyitis (One Armed Boxer feat. Karl Denver)
Happy Mondays – Dennis And Lois
Happy Mondays – Stinkin Thinkin /
Happy Mondays – Loose Fit (Paul Oakenfold Mix)
Happy Mondays -W.F.L. ‘Think About The Future’ (The Paul Oakenfold Mix)
Gaz Whelan – I Still See Bez
Happy Mondays – Donovan
Happy Mondays – Angel
Happy Mondays – Clap Your Hands
INTERMISSION (Grab a Kebab)
Interview Jamie Hutchings w/ Andrea Sturgess
Jamie Hutchings – Bachelors Buttons
PART TWO
Happy Mondays – Step On (Twistin My Melon Man Mix)
Happy Mondays – Kinky Afro
Shaun Ryder – Scooter Girl
Happy Mondays – Tart Tart (Live at Sheffield University 1989)
Happy Mondays – Stayin Alive
Happy Mondays – Kilamenjero (Rave On)
WANT MORE
Bummed Documentary
A short documentary which overviews ‘Factory Records’, as they help promote ‘The Happy Mondays’ during the recording / release of their second album, ‘Bummed’. Click the link in the video or go direct here.
Perth Connections
Anton Maz co-host for this edition of Siamese Dream DJed the after party at the last Happy Mondays Perth gig at The Astor – the after-party was at Amplifier and Anton tells the story of dropping Shaun, Bez and Rowetta along with Alan McGee into a taxi at 4am out the front of Amps and none of the band remembering where they were staying, and they were all at different hotels. Anton wished the taxi driver good luck as they headed into the night.They did get there.
Anton back in the mid-90s played in Yummy Fur the Perth-based and Manchester-inspired band loved equally by clubbers and indie-heads.
Jack (Kiriakos Lucas from Yummy Fur) played guitar pn Amateur Night in the Big Top. Band connections with Shaun Ryders Perth-based cousin Pete Carrol led us to his brothers Matt & Pat Carroll of legendary Manchester-based Central Station Design , who were responsible for some of the best Mondays artwork as well as the iconic Madchester logo, to do album artwork for the Perth-based band which was a big honour. Check out ‘The Story’ below and read on…
Amateur Night in the Big Top
The story goes something like this.
Ryder recorded his vocals in Carroll’s make-shift studio in his garage, which were recorded by Carroll and Norton. And lets not forget to mention Chad Hedley of Dada Records on percussion. Ryder had originally heard tracks Carroll and Shane Norton were working on for Offworld Sounds. “Our Pete just said, ‘Tell us a story.’ I’ve got that many, Pete reckoned I should record them once and for all” said Shaun Ryder. “I’m kind of a novelist in the way that 9/11 was a Great American Novel” the singer added.
The album is subtitled “Clowns and Pet Sounds”. It was released in September 2003 and co-produced by Pete Carroll, Shane Norton and Cabaret Voltaire’s Stephen Mallinder. It was recorded in Perth, Australia and released on the OffWorld Sounds record label run by Carroll and Mallinder.
Shaun stayed at his cousin’s Pete Carroll house in Perth. He thought the quiet location would be a good opportunity to go cold turkey from his previous heroin addiction.
Despite Shaun not wanting to make any music while in the country, Pete thought it would be something to distract him with. In April 2001, it was reported that Ryder had started recorded an album; sessions continued into July 2002. Carroll served as the executive producer on the project. Shane Norton of Kuling Bros produced and engineered the material and former Cabaret Voltaire member Stephen Mallinder acted as co-producer on “Scooter Girl”, “Clowns” and “Murder”.
The Ecstasy and the Agony
The Ecstasy and the Agony. A beautiful documentary filmed with Shaun and his family and during some of Shaun’s toughest times. The spirit of life shines through.
Gaz Whelan the Happy Mondays drummer has been working on a side-project to bring to life acoustic versions of Happy Mondays tracks. In their stripped back form the beauty and quality of the arrangements shines through but really hearing Shaun’s lyrics is a treat. In between tracks Gaz talks about his life with the band including growing up in Salford, The Hacienda, and touring. Great tales. Gaz explains that the band were not at all that interested in touring an acoustic project. You can just imagine the conversation with Shaun and Bez 🙂 – Tracks include: Kiny Afro, Loose Fit, Hallelujah
Gaz Whelan’s other musical project Black Symphony featuring Rowetta from the Mondays here
An interview with Angela Smith, former wife of Happy Mondays bass player and founding member – Paul Ryder, who died on 15th July 2022, after she had recorded many hours of interviews with him for the podcast The Paul Ryder tapes – On Spotify. Try here.
“We didn’t really expect that Paul would go before Shaun…”
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: claude mono, el ritmo, el ritmo moderno, hi fi discotheque, rtrfm
From Istanbul to Mumbai
From Paris to Rome via South London
Sounds from Then and Now
You’re in the VIP queue and the doors are about to open
Its The Tuesday Night Hi Fi Discotheque live from Club El Ritmo Moderno
selections by Claude Mono
LISTEN
Show re-stream here
HQ Mixtape here – just the grooves
PLAYLIST
Tandy Love (aka Andy Votel) –Turk Jerk Intro
Gaslamp Killer vs. Ersen and Kardaslar – Gunese Don Cicegim – All Killer
Sarolta Zolatnay – Zold Borostyan – Sarolta Zolatnay
Mustafa Ozkent Ve Orkestrası – Zeytinyaglı – Genclik lle Elele
Beyaz Kelebekler – Esmerim (Special Cosmic Balearic Edit 4.0)
Sarolta Zolatnay – Munanyag Almok – Sarolta Zolatnay
Kit Sebastian – Durma – Mantra Moderne (2019)
Vanishing Twin – The Third Door – In Piscina (2020)
Ray And His Court – Soul Freedom – Ray and His Court (1973)
Paikan And The Sadhus – Afro On The Rocks (2009) – Jazzman
Kit Sebastian – Pangea – Mantra Moderne
Jean Pierre Mirouze – Sexopolis – Bande Originale Du Film Le Marriage Collectif (1971)
Janko Nilovic – Xenos – Cosmos Rythmes – Contemporains (1974)
The Karminsky Experience Inc – Chant – Beat!
The Karminsky Experience Inc – L932 (original vinyl 12 – Jesse Yuen)
Lucky Brown – Space Dream – Lucky Brown’s Space Dream
M Ashraf – Too Ney Kaha – Dekha Jaye Ga OST
M Ashraf – I Am Very Sorry – The Sound of Wonder OST
The Bartender – Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho (extended version)
Dimitri from Paris – Un World Mysteriouse – Sacre Blue (La Edition Speciale) 1998
Nicola Conte – Dossier Omega – Jet Sounds (1996)
Alfonso Santisteban – Zorongo – Spanish Moog LP (1971)
Vanishing Twin – Planete Sauvage – The Age of Immunology (2019)
Alemayehu – Eshete Alteleyeshegnem
Nephews of Phela – Mulah 2 (Mulatu Astatke’s Yegelle Tezeta)
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: burt bacharach, claude mono, el ritmo, el ritmo moderno, rtrfm, valentines day
UPDATE: Mxtape added with extra tracks and fully remastered – had so much fun doing this special edition of the El Ritmo radio show for RTRFM that I thought I would preserve it for listeners for Valentines Day next year – or better still any day of the year!! – all the chit chat and ads have been removed – so its just the pure joy of the music with a nice HD mix
I loved doing the research for the show and finding so many versions of Bacharach on musical roads road less travelled, but I have to say stumbling across the unreleased version by The Beach Boys of Walk on By was a special find.
Celebrate Valentines Day with a ‘Tuesday Night Hi Fi Journey’
RTRFM’s El Ritmo radio show will be completely free of the mush and goes straight for the beautiful, funky and far out tunes by far out artists into the catalogue of the late great Burt Bacharach plus some other perfectly placed very groovy L.O.V.E tunes.
From 1958 and Burt’s first band The Five Blobs through to Cal Tjader and Frankie Goes To Hollywood – its all Moog workouts, lush soul, remixes and Japanese pop…
“Get Claude Mono. He will know what to play”
– Burt Bacharach
LISTEN
Show re-stream here (Archived soon)
HD Mixtape here (forever – kind of)
PLAYLIST
The Tokyo Paradise Orchestra – The Look of Love (Live)
Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra – Raindrops Keep Fallin on my Head
Burt Bacharach – 24 Hours To Tulsa
Burt Bacharach interview – 1964 (excerpt)
Apeman – 24 Hours From Tulsa
The Five Blobs – The Blob- The Blob OST – 1958
Cal Tjader – Moneypenny – Cal Tjader Sounds Out Burt Bacharach – 1968
Cal Tjader – My Little Red Book Cal Tjader Sounds Out Burt Bacharach – 1968
The Beach Boys – Walk On By (unfinished demo) – 1968 Friends Sessions
Christopher Scott – Wives And Lovers – Switched On Bacharach – 1969
Christopher Scott – The Look Of Love – Switched on Bacharach
Burt Bacharach interview 1964 (excerpt)
Roland Kirk – Walk On By – Slightly Latin – 1966
Tom Jones – Promise Her Anything – A-TOM-C Jones – 1966
Aretha Franklin – I Say A Little Prayer For You (Dimitri From Paris Re-Edit)
The Connection – Loves Theme (Kingstoned – Soundzz) – ltd records – 1975
Rosemary Martins – Love To Love You Baby – Disco Reggae Volume 3
Jack Jones – Wives And Lovers
Burt Bacharach – Bond Street – 1967
Les 5-4-3-2-1 – Bond Street – Tribute To Burt Bacharach -1994
Frankie Goes To Hollywood – San Jose – Welcome To The Pleasure Dome – 1984
The Gentle People – Groovin With You (Intergalactic Harbour Mix)
Isaac Hayes – Walk On By
El Michels Affair – Walk On By
Bebel Gilberto – Baby
Bebel Gilberto – So Nice (Summer Samba) (Mario Caldato Jr. Remix)
Pizzicato Five – Tokyo Mon Amour (Discotheque 96 Mix feat. Kume)
Pizzicato Five – This Years Girl – Made In USA
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: claude mono, discotheque, DJ Cheese Baker, el ritmo
The Latin, Jazz, Bossa, Lounge and crazy beats will flow like expensive French champagne in a VIP Bar as DJ Cheese Baker and Claude Mono return to EL RITMO on RTRFM
LISTEN
Show restream here
PLAYLIST
Antonio Carlos Jobim – A Felicidade /
Banda Black Rio – Magia (Faze Action Horny mix) /
Chico Hamilton – El Toro (Mark de Clive-Lowe Remix) /
The Tradewinds – Funky Calypso /
Dudley Moore Trio – Song for Suzy /
Miles Davis – Diner Au Motel /
Clark Terry – Swahili /
Charlie Parker – Begin The Beguine /
Xavier Cugat – Night Train (Cha Cha) /
The George Shearing Quintet – Tintlin /
The Baja Marimba Band – Baja Nova /
Perez Prado and his Orchestra – Why Wait /
Xavier Cugat – Oooh! /
Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra – Vom Vor-vorgestern Zum Uber-ubermorgen /
I Marc 4 – Rayban /
Jim Lawless – Tribal Warfare /
Mandingo – Uomo /
The Barigozzi Group – Theme for Aretha /
George Benson – Thunder Walk /
George Benson – Groovin /
Nico Gomez and His Orchestra – Rio /
Milton Banana Trio – Cidade Vazia /
Nicola Conte – Tema Per Hi Fi /
Soul Bossa Trio – Snooky Little Pigs /
Tokyo Paradise Ska Orchestra – Tru Heart /
Koichi Oki – Light My Fire /
Koichi Oki – The Look Of Love /
Discodor – Orange /
Chakachas – Stories /
Mandingo – Black Rite /
Manfred Hubler & Siegfried Schwab – Droge CX9 /
Stelvio Cipriani – Femina Ridens /
David McAlmont – Diamonds Are Forever /
Discodor – Filledes Sables
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: beatniks, claude mono, DJ Cheese Baker, el ritmo, el ritmo moderno, exotica, jazz
EL RITMO Moderno
BEATS + JAZZ + EXOTICA + POP + MORE
DJ Cheese Baker and Claude Mono
Your Tuesday Night HI FI Journey is a ‘Bongo Date’ downtown at our crazy jazz pad
LISTEN
Show restream here
PLAYLIST
9:00:50 Intro – Waikiki Waves and Hawaii Greetings
9:01:20 Kava Kon – Pacifica 66
9:05:00 Les Baxter – Mood Tattooed
9:07:17 Cliff Richard – Bongo Blues
9:08:51 Gerry Mulligan – Frisco Club
9:16:19 Gerry Mulligan – Gerry Mulligan
9:21:31 George Benson – Thunder Walk
9:26:00 Knives – Dave Brubeck
9:30:13 Luis Ferri – Anisia
9:35:50 The Karminksy Experience Inc. – Upstairs At Madame La Zongas
9:37:23 Golden Flute – Venus
9:40:15 Orchester Werner Muller – The Beat Goes On
9:43:17 The Jay Norman Quintet – Blue Moon
9:45:33 Baden Powell – Consolacao
9:48:00 The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra – Tea For Two Cha Cha
9:50:56 Joe Davolaz – Cha Cha Andre
9:57:45 Kenny Barron – Peruvian Blue
10:02:13 George Benson – Giblet Gravy
10:06:55 Harold Ousley – El Exi-Hente
10:10:44 Dom Um Romao – Kitchen (Cosinha)
10:13:37 Arthur Lyman – Mas Que Nada
10:16:10 Modulo5 – Softly Sonora
10:23:27 Kumisolo with Joe Davolaz (Instrumental) – Voyage
10:26:55 J P Ghosh – Drums of India
10:28:39 Gene Krupa – How High The Moon
10:31:46 Trio Fratres – The Model (Kraftwerk cover on Accordion)
10:33:54 Castagnari – Ping Pong (Stereolab cover on Accordion)
10:35:21 Isaac Hayes – Ikes Mood
10:42:27 Tempo 2 – Jazzlatinlectrofuzion
10:49:01 Miles Davis – Chocolate Tip
10:53:42 Miles Davis – High Speed Chase
10:57:53 Snowboy – Oya Ye Ye (excerpt)
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: claude mono, dreampop, indie, mixtape, rtrfm, shoegaze, siamese dream
Claude Mono guest curates Siamese Dream
The guitar riffs will rise like steam from the wet mud of the mosh-pits of Glastonbury only to evaporate into dubbed out bass acid-squelched indie dance beats from Manchester…
LISTEN
Listen to the RTRFM show re-stream here
Listen to the HQ Mixtape – just the music here
PLAYLIST
Siamese Dream intro (Mono Edit)
The Clash – The Magnificent Seven
The Clash – The Magnificent Dance
Primal Scream – Shine Like Stars (Live intro)
Primal Scream – Shine Like Stars Eden Studio Demo
Primal Scream – Shine Like Stars (Andrew Weatherall)
The Happy Mondays – Kilamenjaro (aka ‘Rave On’) – Bummed (Deluxe)
Crispy Ambulance – Step Up – Scissorgun
Chapterhouse – Mesmerise
Chapterhouse – Pearl
My Bloody Valentine – Map Ref. 41N 93W Whore – Various Artists Play Wire
Stereolab – John Cage Bubblegum – Refried Ectoplasm Switched On Volume 2
Stereolab – Doubt (Peel Session – 30-07-91)
The Pastels – Yoga – Mobile Safari
Lush – Burnham Beeches – Blind Spot – Blind Spot EP
Stockholm Monsters – Miss Moonlight
The Telescopes – Celeste – Celeste EP
The Telescopes – Celestial – Celeste EP
The Sunflowers – Twenty Fifteen – Cherry Red C90
Ride – Seagull – Nowhere
Lush – Undertow (Spooky Remix) – Hypocrite EP
Bowery Electric – Beat – Beat
Pulp – Space (BBC Hit The North Session Soundcheck)
MORE Siamese Dream Mixtapes
Siamese Dream Mixtape Number Four here
Siamese Dream Third Excursion here
Siamese Dream Second Excursion here
Siamese Dream First Excursion here
SLEEVE NOTES
THE CLASH
“Ring, ring, it’s 7:00am move yourself to go again”
On the cover of “The Magnificent Seven” (the record) is a clock showing seven. The song’s title is about time and about work – about The Clash track The Magnificent Seven is about work – about daily life, and its class struggle but instead of sounding punk its framed by the sound of funk and the emerging hip-hop of New York, which Joe Strummer later said “changed everything for us”. Read more on The Clash’s 1981 punk rock take on the cycle of consumption and work here
PRIMAL SCREAM
“I watch you dance / You look so happy… May you always / Shine like stars.”
2021 marks 30 years since the release of Screamadelica, As well as a set or demos Primal Scream have shared a previously unreleased Andrew Weatherall remix of “Shine Like Stars.” The late, great Weatherall transforms the record’s hazy and (comparatively low-key) closing track into a stadium-ready ballad. Bold guitar riffs replace the muted tones and eerie bleeps of the original, as Weatherall packs in warmth and feeling with rich choral harmonies. Delivering characteristic chug and pizzazz like only the Guv’nor could, the lyrics on this posthumous release hit hard.
LUSH
“I’m so shy, I never speak a word till were on our own“
Crispy Ambulance: “Joy Division stumbled upon us in July 1978 at a gig we played in Manchester, and they liked our approach, even if the material was a little weak, to say the least. They dragged Rob Gretton, their new manager, down to see us some months later, and as a result we did a gig with them at The Factory club in Hulme on 13 July, around the time that Unknown Pleasures was released.”
After years of relative obscurity and against the odds, in 1999 all four original members reconvened for a one-off live show at the Band On the Wall in Manchester. Intended to mark the reissue of Fin and The Plateau Phase on CD, the weeks of intensive rehearsal prepared the ground for a fine live performance, and also an album of new material, Scissorgun which includes the track Step Up
Full biography here
THE PASTELS
“It might not last /So were gonna record everything”
Excerpt from Diffuser interview with Stephen Pastel of the Pastels (by Kenneth Partridge) full article here
Quite a few younger bands have picked up on one aspect of your music, this early jangly pop thing. If you had to give someone a starting point for the Pastels, what would it be?
“In terms of music that we make [now], in some ways, [1995’s] ‘Mobile Safari’ was important. That was when Katrina joined the group. I think that lineup, with Katrina and Annabel [Wright] and myself, that was the beginning of a lot of the things we do now, and it probably has more elements from earlier Pastels music. It’s probably closer to the 1980s independent noisy-pop thing. It’s hard to say there’s one record. Different records represent different points in the group, and not one record would represent them all. ‘Mobile Safari’ was a really important record for us to make, because we almost didn’t know if we would be able to carry on. Annabel and I split from the people in the original group, and it was just really important for us to make an album. The other records were important, too. [1987’s] ‘Up for a Bit With the Pastels’ is really important. It was different from the early singles, and it slightly took people by surprise in terms of what it was”.
THE SUNFLOWERS
While selecting tunes I discovered this great track from 1990 called Twenty Fifteen by The Sunflowers. It was comped on Cherry Red’s C90 – Well it turns out the band is pretty obscure – I did some research to confirm the obscurity which was verified at the essential and encyclopedic indie resource Cloudberry Cake Proselytism V.3 here (The Sunflowers are about half way down)
I did find the cover for the 1990 Daydream 45 on which Twenty Fifteen was the B-side. And also loved the photo of their Scottish producer Jamie Watson – he looks like an Edinburgh gangster and ran the Chamber Studio which put out some pretty crazy and legendary stuff over three decades – the studio was located in an old pool hall and Jamie played in 80s bands The Solo/Monos and The Persian Rugs.
…and here is some rare live footage – how young are they – I mean seriously
STOCKHOLM MONSTERS
From promotional flyer:
Fri Jul 8 ” Percussive popular dance music… “Factory Records recording act. Songs are carefully constructed, layer upon layer, with unnecessary indulgence left out, producing a clean full sound that’s immediately attractive. Two sets at 10pm and 11:45pm.
‘Miss Moonlight’ by Stockholm Monsters was released in 1983 on the Factory Records offshoot Factory Benelux in Belgium. A neglected part of the Factory Records scene, the Stockholm Monsters are a key link between the bristly art-funk of A Certain Ratio and the good-foot indie dance vibe of Happy Mondays and the other Manchester bands of the late ’80s. Often seen merely as New Order proteges (Peter Hook produced all but one of their records) and victims of both record company indifference and unnecessary potshots by the cynical British music press, the Stockholm Monsters deserved better treatment than they usually got.
From the biography at LTM Recordings here and even more here
In April 1982 the band supported New Order on a European tour which took in France, Belgium and Holland, followed in August by a second single (Fac 58), coupling busy pop nugget Happy Ever After with Soft Babies. Produced by Peter Hook. In September the band performed at the Futurama IV festival at Deeside, where Melody Maker praised their ‘big sound and big tunes’, though Sounds condemned the group unkindly as ‘Factory failures.’…The arrival of the Happy Mondays on the scene also hastened the demise of the Stockholm Monsters. Initially sponsored by Rob Gretton, the Mondays were an older group and had also became Tony Wilson’s blue-eyed boys, in part due to a moderately hard, streetwise image which saw them variously labelled as Scallies and Perry Boys. By 1984 Stockholm Monsters were showing real promise with Alma Mater, yet the album was indifferently received by the critics, and failed to break out commercially. The group never made it to the States and would eventually find themselves overtaken by the Mondays, who quickly became press darlings and edged the Monsters from their niche at Palatine Road. Nor did it help that a somewhat emotional John Rhodes of the band threw a punch at Tony Wilson at The Hacienda in December 1986.
BOWERY ELECTRIC
Somewhere between Post Rock, Shoegaze and Trip Hop…
Simon Reynolds’ seminal post-Rock article in the November 1995 issue of The Wire placed Bowery Electric in the forefront of “a distinctively American post-rock.” The band returned to Studio .45 to work on the second full length release with engineer Rich Costley. With the acquisition of samplers, the band’s song writing process (which had always started with the bass track and drum beats) expanded. The resulting album, Beat, featured a drummer on four out of ten tracks, with plenty of subtly sampled beats and bass tones anchoring the bottom end. Lawrence Chandler told Alternative Press that “technologically Beat is the beginning of us learning our way around a proper sampler and software which allows us to work with samples on the computer. We can sample ourselves, manipulate sounds, create our own beats and basically work with fewer restrictions.” Beat was praised by The Wire as “genre-defining”.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Balenciaga, claude mono, Gucci, Miu Miu, Prada
It’s the time of the year to watch the 2022-2023 Fall Winter Collections. Sheri and I spent a 40 degree Celsius too “too hot to go outside” Saturday afternoon on the couch and picked our favorites. The videos are quite cinematic with great sound and visual detail so watching on a big screen is recommended not on a phone.
Christian Dior: This year we really loved all aspects of this show. The Paris themed production design, the overall simplicity, and of course the clothes – all muted whites, blues and greys and light florals – and logo minimisation – no one would know what you were wearing unless they ‘knew’ what you were wearing. Tastefully soundtracked with the right vibe for the visuals with the 10 minute extended mix of The Gate by Caroline Polachek.
Prada: This year Prada seems to have got all the media hype with runway appearances by Kyle MacLachlan (now 62) and Jeff Goldblum (now 69) bookending an array of gorgeous young Hollywood A-listers you would never see on MAFS. It’s very ‘Black is the new Black’ with a great synth-heavy soundtrack featuring exclusively early Human League tracks from Reproduction (1979) and Travelogue (1980). This year’s show was a decade after the memorable autumn-winter 2012 show that featured the likes of Gary Oldman and Willem Dafoe and the at the time novel “celebrity in a fashion show”. The models and celebrities all looked pretty good on the runway in elegantly tailored bomber jackets, parkas and knitwear. Tatler Magazine decided to rank them from “pretty suave” to “certified Prada man” – check out the list and photos here.
Gucci: Sadly No FW Collection for Jan 2022. We had enjoyed the film ‘House of Gucci’ so much we had to instead revisit Gucci Aria from April 2021. It’s all about the clothes. So good in pandemic times. Its a film co-directed by Floria Sigismondi and Gucci’s Alessandro Michele. The Savoy Club theme is a tribute to The Savoy Hotel in London where founder Guccio Gucci worked as a liftboy in his youth. Highlights include the first appearance of the Gucci collab with Balenciaga – a made in heaven marriage of street savvy logos and brand colors and the full collection can be explored at the Gucci-Balenciaga Hacker Project. The last three minutes of the video really are quite amazing.
Filmed during the pandemic go behind the scenes of the filing at the legendary Italian film studios at Cinecittia.
Get inside the Wild World of Gucci’s Alessandro Michele with this great article at Vogue
Balenciaga: If you liked the Gucci-Balenciaga collab make sure you check out Balenciaga’s just released ‘The Lost Tape’ that as i-D describe it “documents a top-secret show as if it happened way back in the 90s, long before instant-gratification of iPhones and social media. Think lo-fi, homemade VHS footage, celebrities such as Isabelle Huppert and Naomi Campbell, a frenzied scrum of paparazzi outside the show, models smoking backstage, and more – at 8:51: “I want to be a Balenciaga girl…”
Louis Vuitton: A great surprise hearing the legendary Arthur Verocai’s unmistakable musical arrangements duing the late Virgil Abloh’s very ‘arty’ parade for Louis Vuitton – a collaboration with Tyler the Creator live-scored by Chineke Orchestra all sitting at a long dining table and conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. Tyler makes an appearance on a bicycle.
Miu Miu: If you have not seen it the Miu Miu Fall/Winter collection video is quite beautiful. Miu Miu is the creative side project of billionaire Miuccia Prada who is always full of great ideas. Lots of knitwear, scarves Yeti-boots, and lots of ski wear. All filmed at high altitude surrounded by snow covered mountaintops of Cortina d’Ampezzo in Northeast Italy. The skiwear by Miu Miu and even more so, Lady Gaga in the ski scenes in House of Gucci, reminded me of discovering the vintage ski wear of Emilio Pucci. Check out the photos at Illicity Snowboarding’s ‘Reasons why we snowboard No.4785 – Pucci ski fashion’ here
Dries Van Noten: “I really think about young people who can’t go out, can’t meet other people, can’t touch, can’t make love. All those things with the whole Covid-19 situation. And sometimes you make a collection that is a counterreaction to what is going on in the world” Great visuals to Dream Baby Dream by Suicide.
KIDILL: Hiroaki Sueyasu named his latest offering “The Outsider” after Henry Darger, who posthumously became known as a celebrated outsider artist. The artist’s tendency to depict idyllic, flowered landscapes in his fantastical, sometimes horrific imagery also informed Sueyasu’s choice of venue for his fall show: a historic mansion in Tokyo with a manicured garden behind it.
Founded in 2014 by Hiroaki Sueyasu, KIDILL blends Harajuku street-style with ‘90s punk irreverence. KIDILL takes cues from luxury provocateurs like Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen, while its distinct subcultural edge draws influence from hardcore punk icons like The Dead Kennedys. High fashion concepts and DIY aesthetics find expression in the label’s colorblocked straight-leg trousers, oversized patchwork cardigans, slouchy graphic T-shirts, and razor-sharp studded chokers.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: claude mono, jazz, London, Sixties, Soh
I was asked to do a warm up set for the launch of the outdoor film season of Last Night in Soho at the Luna Outdoor cinema.
I was only meant to do an hour but of course in preparing I ended up on a deep journey back into the Soho of sixties London – all cool jazz – cool places – and cool clothes…
…so I made a mixtape to share and gathered some ephemera for this blog post.
LISTEN
HQ Mixcloud Mixtape here
PLAYLIST
New Jazz Orchestra – Naima
Johnny Jewell – Windswept (Minimal) – Themes For Television
Richard Hartley – Title Theme – Dance With A Stranger
Michael Garrick with Don Rendell Ian Carr – Heart Is A Lotus – Prelude to Heart Is A Lotus
Paul Gonsalves Quartet – Boom Jackie Boom Chick
Anthony Reynolds – Adrift in Soho (Strings + Organ + Theme)
London Jazz Four – Song For Hilary
Interlude – Dance with A Stranger OST
Dick Morrissey Quartet – Storm Warning
Vic Lewis – Last Minute Bossa Nova
Cavern of Anti-Matter – Night Fabric – In Fabric OST
Interlude Last Night in Soho – I Can Tell You Want It
Johnny Hawksworth and Hampton Hawes – Jazz Rule – Anglo American Jazz Phase 1
Bernard Cribbins – Gossip Calypso
Interlude – Blow Up OST
Herbie Hancock – The Thief – Blow Up OST
Interlude – Absolute Beginners
Sade – Killer Blow
Greg Foat Group – Blues for Lila – Girl and Robot With Flowers
Mel Torme – Walk On By
Emanual K Rahim & The Kaliqs – Al Amin (The Knower)
Interlude – London In the Raw
The Karminsky Experience Inc. – Gemini Calling
The John Barry Seven – The Sharks
Greg Foat Group – Girl and Robot With Flowers Part 3 – Girl and Robot With Flowers
Shirley Scott – Blue Bongo
Googie Rene and his Combo – Bossa Baby mono mix
Oscar Brown Jr – The Snake
Dusty Springfield– Spooky
Dusty Springfield – Just a Little Loving
Shirley Horn – And I Love Him
Jose Villamor – Angola Deus
WANT MORE?
Some essential Soho and Swinging London
Primitive London
London In The Raw
Dance With a Stranger
Absolute Beginners
David Bailey The Swinging Sixties and the Real Blow Up
Revisiting Blow Up (1966) Filming Locations
Mod Soho
Bohemian Soho