Herbie Hancock - Gershwin's World (1998)

CLASSY
ARTIST`````Herbie Hancock
ALBUM`````From Bleep To Bleep
GENRE`````Jazz, Post Bop
YEAR````````1998

ALBUM REVIEW by Jim Newsom: Gershwin's World is a tour de force for Herbie Hancock, transcending genre and label, and ranking among the finest recordings of his lengthy career. Released to coincide with the 100th anniversary of George Gershwin's birth, this disc features jazzman Hancock with a classy collection of special guests. The most surprising of Hancock's guest stars is Joni Mitchell, who delivers a gorgeously sensual vocal on "The Man I Love," then provides an airy, worldly take on "Summertime." On these two tracks, she shows she has come a long way from her folksinger beginnings to become a first-class jazz singer in her own right. Stevie Wonder's unmistakable harmonica complements Mitchell's singing on "Summertime" and shares lead instrument space with his own voice on the W.C. Handy classic "St. Louis Blues." Jazzman extraordinaire Wayne Shorter smokes a solo spot on Duke Ellington's "Cotton Tail" and carves out some space for his soprano saxophone in the midst of "Summertime." A number of the young lions of jazz are featured on various cuts, and Herbie's old pal Chick Corea joins the leader for a piano duet of James P. Johnson's "Blueberry Rhyme." Gershwin's wonderful, extended "Lullaby" finds Hancock teamed with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, as does an attractive arrangement of a "Concerto for Piano and Orchestra" by Maurice Ravel, whose jazz influence can be heard on the piece. In addition, one of the most beautiful tracks on the album places star soprano Kathleen Battle's voice at the forefront of Gershwin's own "Prelude in C# Minor." Yet with all the fine performances by his guests, Gershwin's World remains Hancock's show, and he plays magnificently throughout. From beautiful to funky, percussive to melodic, improvisational to tightly arranged, Hancock and cohorts take a wondrous journey through the music and world of Gershwin.

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The Micronauts - From Bleep to Bleep (2000)

NO BULLSHIT HERE
ARTIST`````The Micronauts
ALBUM`````From Bleep To Bleep
GENRE`````Techno, House
YEAR````````2000

WHY?
I've heard this album a week ago for the first time and was blown away. This is one of the rawest, fearless tech-house albums ever. For the fullest effect listen on some bigass headphones.

ALBUM REVIEW: The title of the Micronauts' (mini-)LP debut is just as good as any, considering all but one of the songs feature "bleep" in the title, and there's a four-part series entitled "Baby Wants to Bleep." It's also completely in keeping with the duo's aesthetic, which injects a sense of humor and off-hand charm into the often sterile and increasingly academic field of acid techno. They function as a near-perfect incarnation of classic acid acts like Altern-8 or the KLF, both of whom produced great music but also recognized and exploited, for comic effect, Britain's acid revolution during the early '90s. With all the mayhem and track-to-track flow of the best hip-hop DJs (even though they're performing on 303s and 909s instead of turntables), the Micronauts tear their way through squelchy acid hysteria and continually test the upper limits of the frequency range. Though most of the humor is inherent in the track titles, the music is so kinetic that it's easy to envision Monier and Issakidis smirking behind their boxes even as they were programming the album. Except for the heavily processed freeform-electronics piece ("Bleeper 0+2") that cuts the album in two, Bleep to Bleep offers plenty of tweaked acid patterns and quite a few trips through heavy reverb.

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Kraftwerk - Tour de France Soundtracks (2003)

KLING KLANG, KLING KLANG, KLING KLANG,
ARTIST`````Kraftwerk
ALBUM`````Tour de France Soundtracks
GENRE`````Electronic
YEAR````````2003

WHY:
I am sure that most of the people fiddling around electronic music surely have this glorious album but since I find it to be one of the best electronic albums of this decade I just had to post it.

In short, this album was a slap in the face to the entire electronic scene (and wider) when it came out because Kraftwerk were (at that time) a hugely respected visionary act but - they were an 80's gem. Yes, they created and influenced every corner of music as much as The Beatles did but from the trendy critics narrow eyes they were simply - retro (I tend to disagree with this because when you listen to their 80's stuff it still sounds much fresher and open than everything that came out after them). Of course Daft Punk, Autechre and the whole techno movement gang updated their style (and the English accent) for 90's clubbers in dire need of something punchy and raw but nobody really expected something new from the Kings of Robots.

No matter how much I explore the endless possibilities of electronic musicians I always feel like sitting on a pile of Kraftwerk records while doing that. I wonder how does it feel when you ARE electronic music.

Short review:
The seeming ease with which the group unselfconsciously effects a seamless transition from its prior recordings to its latest creates the impression that the band cryogenically froze itself for seventeen years and then immediately re-entered a newly equipped digital studio.
http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/kraftwerk/tour-de-france-soundtracks.htm

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Also, be aware of this:
“Finally, after cancellation and consternation Kraftwerk’s back catalog gets remastered and reissued…We think it’s – whisper – better than the Beatles.”

I was very surprised reading that Kraftwerk made this album completely in a software based studio using Cubase and lots of software effects. This is quite a big change considering their long history as hardware pioneers.
Read a short interview about the software used on this album.

Boredoms - 77 Boadrum (2007)

BOILING POINT
ARTIST`````BOREDOMS
ALBUM`````77 BOADRUM
GENRE`````EXPERIMENTAL, NOISE-ROCK
YEAR````````2007

FROM WIKI:

77 Boadrum was a concert held on July 7, 2007 (7/7/07) at 7:07 PM consisting of 77 drummers. The concert was organized by Boredoms. The title of the concert was a portmanteau of "Boredoms", "boa", "drum", and "77". It was held at the Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park in Brooklyn, New York. Two followup concerts, entitled 88 Boadrum, were held on August 8, 2008.

THE CONCERT FROM NY ENTERTAINMENT:
For such a monstrous event, the ending of the Boredoms' 77BoaDrum show in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday evening was surprisingly peaceful. Led by the Japanese noise-rock pioneers, BoaDrum presented 77 drummers at 77 drum kits spread out across a broad green lawn. In addition to the Boredoms at the center of the spiral, drummers from dozens of indie-rock and jazz bands participated; even Andrew WK was there, sitting behind a gleaming gold drum kit and playing as if he wanted you to enjoy the show as much as he himself was, which seemed to be quite a lot.

Read more: 77 Drums With a Dragon Charmer in the Middle -- Vulture http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2007/07/77_drums_with_a_dragon_charmer.html#ixzz0WH9AbxPK

DRUMMERS:

Entries in bold denote drum leaders.

0. Yamantaka Eye (Boredoms, Destroy 2, DJ Chaos X, DJ Pica Pica Pica, Hanatarash, The Lift Boys, MC Hellshit & DJ Carhouse, Puzzle Punks)
1. Yojiro Tatekawa (Boredoms)
2. Yoshimi P-We (Boredoms, OOIOO, Yoshimi and Yuka, UFO or Die, Free Kitten, Psycho-Baba)
3. Muneomi Senju (Boredoms, Para)
4. Hisham Bharoocha (Soft Circle, Pixeltan)
5. Jesse Lee (Rusty Santos, White Magic, Gang Gang Dance)
6. Brian Tamborello (Psychic Ills)
7. Butchy Fuego (Pit Er Pat, Matteah Baim, Death’s Groove)
8. Warren Huegel (Tussle, Citay, 3 Leafs)
9. Dave Abramson (The Spider Trio, Diminished Men, Climax Golden Twins, Maureen Whiting Dance Co.)
10. Chris Brokaw (Flashlights, The New Year, Come, Codeine)
11. Christopher Powell (Man Man, Icy Demons, Need New Body, Obey Your Brain)
12. Jim Black (AlasNoAxisE, Carlos Bica & Azul)
13. David Aron (Koi Pond)
14. Robin Easton (King Cobb Steelie)
15. Abby Portner (First Nation, Among Natives)
16. Taylor Richardson (Sunburned Hand of the Man)
17. Michael Catano (Buck 65, North of America, The Got To Get Got)
18. Aviram Cohen (Soiled Mattress and The Springs)
19. Jim Sykes (Parts & Labor)
20. Keith Connolly (No-Neck Blues Band)
21. Nick DeCarmine (Slow/Dynamite)
22. Jaiko Suzuki (Electroputas)
23. David Grubbs (Red Krayola, Squirrel Bait, Bastro, Gastr del Sol)
24. Jarred Barron
25. Chris Millstein (Home, Jah Division, Charter Oak)
26. Barbara Schauwecker (Animental)
27. Jared Burak (Wet Cement)
28. Pete Vogl (Koi Pond, Bi-Unicorn, Bow Ribbons)
29. Marianne Kozlowski (The Punks)
30. Nadav Havusha (Big A Little A)
31. Nathan Corbin (Excepter)
32. Clare Amory (Lake, Skint, Excepter)
33. Aaron Moore (Volcano the Bear)
34. Alianna Kalaba (We Ragazzi)
35. Rick Prior (Glass Shivers, Squabble Hut)
36. Josh Madell (Antietam)
37. John McSwain
38. Justin DeRosa
39. David Nuss (No-Neck Blues Band, Under Satan's Sun)
40. Count Hejnowski (No-Neck Blues Band, Malkuth, Dream/Aktion Unit)
41. Sadie Laska (I.U.D.)
42. Alan Licht (Text of Light)
43. Travis Harrison (Unsacred Hearts, Dracula Zombie USA)
44. Andrya Ambro (Antonius Block)
45. Jeff Salane (Panthers)
46. Jim Abramson (Dymaxion, Autobody, Bear Flames, Rhys Chatam Guitar All Star Dymaxion)
47. Andy MacLeod (Howling Hex)
48. Michael Evans (God Is My Co-Pilot)
49. David LeBleu (Mercury Program, Papercranes], Textual)
50. Adam Autry (ADD, Plate Techtonics, Onleyville Soundsystems)
51. Spencer Herbst (Matta Lama)
52. Dreiky Caprice (Express Fiesta Glacier)
53. Kid Millions (Oneida, Soldiers of Fortune, Jah Division)
54. Jim Siegel (Cul de Sac)
55. Jonathan Lockie (Sightings)
56. Lizzy Bougatsos (Gang Gang Dance, I.U.D.)
57. Andrew W.K.
58. Adee Connors (Ticwar, A Minor Forest, Lumen)
59. Mike Pride (MDC, Fushitsusha, John Zorn, Yoshihide Otomo)
60. Aron Wahl (Big A Little A)
61. Spencer Sweeney
62. Ryan Sawyer (Tall Firs, Stars Like Fleas)
63. Daniel Franz (Arboretum)
64. Chris Moore (Moore & Sons, Negative Approach)
65. Allison Busch (Awesome Color)
66. Miggie Littleton (Blood on the Wall)
67. Sara Lund (Unwound)
68. Eric Marc Cohen (Fly Ashtray, Dymaxion, Autobody, United Noise, Caroliner Rainbow)
69. Tim DeWitt (Gang Gang Dance)
70. Kayrock (Roxy Pain)
71. Josh Bonati (Big A Little A)
72. Jason Kourkounis (Bardo Pond, Hot Snakes, Burning Brides, The Delta 72)
73. John Moloney (Sunburned Hand of the Man)
74. Than Luu (M. Ward, Black Gold, Rachael Yamagata, shushshush, Adam Franklin)
75. Matthias Schulz (Enon, Holy Fuck)
76. Oran Canfield (Child Abuse, Dig That Body Up... It's Alive, Murder Murder)
77. Brian Chippendale (Lightning Bolt, Mindflayer, Black Pus)

On Viva Radio Collection of photos
Documentary

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V.A. BLEEDING TECHNO SERIES VOL.01 - EVOLVING TUNNELS (2009)

ELECTRONIC!
ARTIST`````VARIOUS
ALBUM`````BLEEDING TECHNO SERIES VOL.01 - EVOLVING TUNNELS
GENRE`````TECHNO, MINIMAL, DETROIT, ELECTRO, PROGRESSIVE,BERLIN
YEAR````````2009
BLEEDING PANDA COMPILATION!

WHAT?
For some time now I wanted to share some great techno/house/electro tracks I enjoyed but they were either to "4x4 clubby" for my compilations or simply long beatport frenzy club mixes and did not fit at all. So I decided to start regularly releasing compilations of just kool danceable club sounds overlooking their genres or bpm's.

Basically here are some older classics (Joey Beltram) blended with some fresh 2009 productions (Dusty Kid). As usual, this compilation is a bit awkward and doesn't function as a mix. Each song is pretty much for itself.

As promised in the Naked compilation, here is the futuristic original Der Dritte Raum - Hale Bop track. Standouts are definitely "Evolver", a storming surgeon precession minimal techno, Dusty Kid's flawless travelogue "Cowboys", DJ Hell's apocalyptic romantic "The Angst" from the over-promoted "Teufelswerk" album, Gatto Fritto's kitsch love affair "Invisible College" and one of the best produced Detroit electro tracks of all time "LBLB Detroit" from Jimmy Edgar. Pay attention to the sound panoramic quality of "LBLB Detroit" and turn up your volume as much as possible. Also, I should mention Detroit's second wave artist Kenny Larkin and his obscure and amazing "Vibin" - listen to the brilliant progressive bassline at 2:50.

Also, can someone recognize the theme melody in "I Am Plankton"??? It's killing me that I know it in the back of my mind, I know it's a classic theme but can't remember what it is...

TRACKLIST:
01 Der Dritte Raum - Hale Bop (Original Mix) (1999)
02 Peter Horrevorts - Evolver (2007)
03 Joey Beltram - Drome (1994)
04 Mike Monday - I Am Plankton (Album Version 2008)
05 Guy Gerber - Belly Dancing (Album Version 2007)
06 Dusty Kid - Cowboys (Extended Version 2009)
07 Petar Dundov - Waterfall (2008)
08 Dj Hell - The Angst (2009)
09 Jimmy Edgar - LBLB Detroit (2006)
10 Kenny Larkin - Vibin' (2008)
11 Gatto Fritto - Invisible College (2007)
12 Spirit Catcher - Hidden Memories (2007)

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D. LISSVIK - 7 TRX + INTERMISSION (2008)

STUDIO'S DAN LISSVIK SOLO PROJECT
ARTIST`````D. LISSVIK
ALBUM`````7 TRX + INTERMISSION
GENRE`````EXPERIMENTAL, DUB, FUSION, EASY
YEAR````````2008

FROM:
This album was recommended by Alisa from Norway.

ALBUM REVIEW FROM RESIDENT ADVISOR: As half of Sweden's foremost Balearic revivalists Studio, Dan Lissvik's already well known for poolside dance music that's more horizontally than vertically designed. But where Yearbook 1 and this year's remix collection Yearbook 2 found shape around the duo's bouncy, dub-infected rhythms, Lissvik's debut solo album 7 Trx + Intermission is, fittingly, more a one-man quest: a work intent on musically recreating a sense of beatific solitude. Without vocals and with track numbers over titles, Lissvik foregoes Studio's emphasis on trance-clatter and repetition. In their place are rippling Factory Records guitars, the barest rhythms and a decidedly Eastern-influenced spiritualism, making for an album that nurtures the spare and serene. He draws shapes and symbols in the sand out of lean, serpentine guitars, each open to the listener's angle of sight. Without partner Rasmus Hägg's synth shading, Lissvik's imagery is fit more for the desert than the beach, designed around great clean spaces without people or moving things to distract, just sound and silence in an odd tandem. Despite the emphasis on his ruminative side though, Lissvik hasn't completely neglected his band's taste for big-eyed joy. The album's longest excursion, "A3," shifts from boat holiday guitars into a breezy freeway spin atop hand drums and brawny bass, while "A4" makes easy Saturday night disco out of electronic piano and jaunty wood-cowbell rhythms, a kind of polyester anthem as cheap and delightfully fruitful as its opening chords suggest. "B2" best resembles Studio's knack for the hypnotic strut though; Lissvik filters quiet Eastern tones into a wanderer's dance jam, alternating the dim and contemplative with a more open-collared bass heavy approach. But it's clear that Lissvik's relying on open-vista psychedelia to carry the mood for most of 7 Trx + Intermission. "A1" turns a Spanish guitar intro into a curtain parting for a Sergio Leone film—one of the tense train depot scenes before all hell breaks loose—while "A2" is dressed in enough vague mysticism and candle-lit ambience for an early Doors track. "B1" makes for a kind of mystical Bazaar interlude, swapping out Villalobos' ethnic playgrounding for more solitary spoils. Blending tropical bird noises and what sound like sampled hand-drum patterns into a calm morning alarm that might gently coax you from your sleep, it's "B3" that generates quite a spell for such short length. For a member of a band that's always relied so heavily on the intoxication of repetition, this assured short-form design sometimes feels like a welcome new direction. After all: Yearbook 3 is probably still at least a year away. While we wait, Lissvik's solo debut marks not so much a holding pattern as a distraction well worth our winter attention on its own.

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HENRI TEXIER - AMIR (1996)

FRENCH MASTER OF BASS
ARTIST`````HENRI TEXIER
ALBUM`````AMIR
GENRE`````POST-JAZZ SOMETHING, EXPERIMENTAL, FUSION
YEAR````````1996

ABOUT:
Henri Texier is an outstanding French bassist who has concentrated most of his activity in his native land. This intricate, gentle album is definitely one of his greatest works.

I can't find a decent amount of information anywhere on this album but I can surely recommend it.

Enjoy.

Henri Texier has a strongly physical approach to the bass, although his tone is often described as "bell-like." American auditors may feel that Texier simply walks a crooked line between hard bop and free, but in France Texier has gained recognition for his work in developing a type of jazz that is uniquely French and not beholden to American models. In June 2001, Texier was made a Chevalier of the l'Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur, the highest honor the French government accords to its artists.

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V.A. SOUNDTRACK FOR NAKED RUNNERS (2009)

ENJOY YOUR BODY
ARTIST`````VARIOUS
ALBUM`````SOUNDTRACK FOR NAKED RUNNERS
GENRE`````FUNK, JAZZ, NERDY, INSTRUMENTAL, RETRO, TRIPPY
YEAR````````2009
BLEEDING PANDA COMPILATION!

WHAT?
Some anonymous user here posed a challenge with a theme of naked running (he or she wanted it to be with some water sprinkles or something) but this name seemed a bit shorter and simpler. Also, someone criticized him/her for that, but I thought it was a ridiculous idea that should be definitely done. As it turned out, this is one of my catchiest compilations, but feel free to criticize it.

Now, it's filled with french perverse 70's LSD funk, some monstrous jazz + samba flipouts, several cult and very influental songs mixed with ridicule of The Beatles and the non-existent hippie-parody Dewey Cox himself.

This small collection went through some big changes over time. At first, I made it the most obvious way - indie experiments with japanese and NY noise bands (OOIOO, Optimo, Pullsallama etc.) but that was simply to simple, raw and it was'nt "romantic" and humorous enough. So I basically shifted entirely from that direction into sex, retro, french, jazz, kinky, ridiculous direction and tried to make a sort of a "soundtrack" that is not that tough at rhythm but more into the freedom loving atmosphere of the swinging sex organs .

Standout tracks, and maybe tracks that make this comp a must have (for those who never heard them before) are definitely: the gorgeous and life-fulfiling, jamming Andrew Bird's Coney Island Shuffle, Janko Nilovic's by far the best composition Xenos Cosmos from 1972 (the last 1 minute of the song is golden and the rest of his work is mostly crap), magickal Senor Coconut's - Rydeen, of course Serge Gainsbourg's cult classic Bonnie and Clyde, Sohail Rana's Soul Sitar - a perverse take on bollywood humour (Guys from Ninja Tune label had lots of fun remixing this gem) and the infinite Piggies - spitting humour from The Beatles. Also, I should mention Marsha Hunt with her nipple shaking (Oh No! Not) The Beast Day, a strangely missed groovy 70's funk club hit.

Enjoy this comp, leave a comment and maybe some ideas, links, whatever. I am always looking for new material to fuse.

TRACKLIST:
01 Medeski Martin & Wood - Pat A Cake (2008)
02 RJD2 - 1976
03 The Pinker Tones - L'Heros (2006)
04 Serge Gainsbourg - Bonnie and Clyde
05 Georges Garvarentz - Nues Dans L'eau (1970)
06 Sohail Rana - Soul Sitar (1970)
07 Marsha Hunt - The Beast Day (1973)
08 Paul McCartney - Coming Up (Thumbs Aloft Edit 2007) M
09 The Mystic Moods - Honey Trippin' (1975)
10 The Delfonics - Funny Feeling (1971)
11 Os Mutantes - A Minha Menina M
12 Andrew Bird's Bowl Of Fire - Coney Island Shuffle (1999)
13 The Beatles - Piggies (1968)
14 Walk Hard The Dewey Cox Story - Black Sheep (2007)
15 Der Dritte Raum - Swing Bop B (2008)
16 Senor Coconut and His Orchestra - Rydeen (2008)
17 G. Bordonneau & DJ BNX - Ultra Bossa (2000)
18 Janko Nilovic - Xenos Cosmos (1972)
19 Funkadelic - Can You Get To That (1971)

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STUDIO - YEARBOOK 1 (2007)

HUGE FIELDS OF POSSIBILITY
ARTIST`````STUDIO
ALBUM`````YEARBOOK 1
GENRE`````EXPERIMENTAL, ELECTRONICA, FUSION
YEAR````````2007

WHY:
Much has been said about this album but I've decided to post it anyway since it's a must listen for all who missed it in 2007.

A gorgeous pice of effort from Sweden.

ALBUM REVIEW: (pitchfork)
Never put stock in MySpace genre tags, but the page for Sweden's Studio says "Experimental/Afro-beat/Pop" and that's a decent start. It's vague enough for almost anything to happen, but with one specific reference point that pushes expectations in an interesting direction. The band consists of just two people, Dan Lissvik and Rasmus Hägg, though they do a nice job of sounding much bigger.

A lot happens in 70 minutes, as Studio basically functions in two modes. Much of the time they work in long form, winding melodic guitar lines around a core of clean, hypnotic rhythm. During these tracks they explore the trance-inducing repetition of Manuel Göttsching and gossamer lyricism of Durutti Column, and underpin the development with rhythms that allude to Can or the exotic tinge of Bill Laswell's Sacred System. Hard to say exactly how serious the "Afro-beat" mention on the MySpace page is, but it's not hard to hear the folding-in-on-itself quality of King Sunny Ade's guitar in something like the 13-minute "Life's a Beach!". There's even a hint of Nordic space disco in the reserved, easy funkiness of the gently modulating instrumental "Radio Edit".

As an album, it's long and all over the place, but somehow tight and disciplined; it feels like one unit working through various ideas and finding new ways for them to hang together. Subtle humor, both in the music and presentation, also helps keep the record afloat. All titles are in English but they're delivered with a playful twist. "West Side" alludes to Studio's hometown of Gothenburg, located on Sweden's left shore. "Life's a Beach!" is hopelessly goofy, but the music behind it is astonishing.

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Christian Prommer's Drumlesson - Drum Lesson Vol. 1 (2009)

GOOD CLASSICS COVER WORK.
ARTIST`````CHRISTIAN PROMMER'S DRUMLESSON
ALBUM`````DRUM LESSON VOL.01
GENRE`````JAZZ, FUNK, COVER
YEAR````````2009

ALBUM REVIEW: (by soul seduction)
For part one of the the two DRUMLESSON albums, that CHRISTIAN PROMMER has planned to produce, he recorded 10 of his favourite dance classics as jazz interpretations. Taking his favorite dance tracks of the last two decades and transforming the energy and magic of the originals into a performance of a jazz quartet (piano, drums, perc. and bass) was quite an interesting journey for the composer/producer. All started with the idea to record an acoustic version of the DERRICK MAY classic Strings of Life to warm up for the production of his first solo album. He recorded the basic idea some time ago in his new studio on the country side near Munich. Upright piano played by ROBERTO DI GIOIA and drums by WOLFGANG HAFFNER. Thought of as a "one-off" track for the fun of it, it sat on the shelf for a long time until ALEX BARCK of the JAZZANOVA crew, came by and heard the track. Alex and the rest of the crew got so excited about this tune, playing it in their dj sets all over the world, that they soon decided to release a 12" with this track. Released in May 2007 it was a fast spreading phenomenon. Djs and music fans from all sides of the spectrum got into this track. DERRICK MAY also gave CHRISTIAN PROMMER his thumbs up. Nice. The idea of rerecording dance classics did not leave CHRISTIAN PROMMER’s head while he was preparing his debut album for Sonar Kollektiv. Feeling at home in the world between Jazz and Detroit Techno he decided to do an album project that had two parts. Vol. 1 reinterprets the dance classics in a jazzy fashion arranging and producing the record in an oldschool way. On Vol. 1 the track listing features tunes that CHRISTIAN PROMMER played in his dj-set at one point in his more than ten year long Dj journey.

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V.A. LANDSCAPES WE CANNOT SEE (2009)

unseen.
ARTIST`````VARIOUS
ALBUM`````LANDSCAPES WE CANNOT SEE
GENRE`````INSTRUMENTAL, EXPERIMENTAL, AVANTGARDE,
YEAR````````2009
BLEEDING PANDA COMPILATION!

WHY?
Celebration of the world unseen. This is a selection of my some of my favorite instrumental abstractions mixed with several classic, cult compositions by 16 very different and immensely powerful artists.

TRACKLIST:
01 Ariel Kalma - Planet-Air
02 Aziza Mustafa Zadeh - Singing Nature
03 Amon Düül II - Wie Der Wind Am Ende Einer Strasse
04 Mice Parade - Out of the Freedom World
05 The Zephyrs - What Voltage Is The Moon
06 Angelo Badalamenti - Laurens Walking
07 Frigg - Return From Helsinki
08 Medeski Martin & Wood - Old Paint
09 Drugs - Breathe
10 Jack DeJohnette & Foday Musa Suso - Ocean Wave
11 Grails - The Natural Man
12 Max Richter - Time Passing
13 Erik Satie - After The Rain - Gnossienne No. 4
14 The One Ensemble Of Daniel Padden - It's Wonderful To Think About Tigers
15 Greg Davis - Truly We Dwell in Happiness
16 Robert Fripp & The League Of Crafty Guitarists - Scaling The Whales


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RICARDO VILLALOBOS - FABRIC 36 (2007)

SUPERB, MINIMAL, ARTCY, CLUBBY.
ARTIST`````RICARDO VILLALOBOS
ALBUM`````FABRIC 36
GENRE`````MINIMAL, TECHNO
YEAR````````2007

UH:
A stylish mix of top notch minimalism. YummY:P Good stuff.

ALBUM REVIEW: (PITCHFORK)
Fabric 36 is Villalobos' ravenously awaited mix CD, and it just happens to be blended entirely from his own new productions and remixes. These cut-and-paste percussion clinics would be already straining with detail as stand-alone tracks, but their interlocking beats become ever more complex in the virtuoso way Villalobos meshes them, as when the opening electronic tones of "Groove 1880" sprout acoustic cymbal accents and jazz snares nine minutes later during "Moongomery". The hyper-percussive top end of the mix is perpetually bustling, too: Peppering his tracks with preverbal hiccups, askew extraneous rhythms, and halting half-melodies is one of Villalobos' favorite (and most effective) tricks throughout Fabric 36-- both for keeping the listener engaged and for lending his music its trademark uneasy quality. Phantom voices are layered into bad-trip swirls on "Organic Tranceplant" and "Fumiyandric 2". Strange sizzling noises flare up during an otherwise austere drum track. Fabric 36 constantly slips and slides around multiple percussive pulses, yet remains utterly sensual.

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ANDREW BIRD'S - OH THE GRANDEUR (1999)

HOT FUSION.
ARTIST`````ANDREW BIRD'S BOWL OF FIRE
ALBUM`````OH! THE GRANDEUR
GENRE`````RETRO SWING, ADULT
YEAR````````1999

ALBUM INFO:
Andrew Bird's second album Oh! The Grandeur reunites him with his Bowl of Fire counterparts, as well as some special collaborators like the Squirrel Nut Zippers' James Mathus. Recorded in New Orleans, the album builds on the hot jazz/Brecht vibe that Bowl of Fire pioneered on their first album Thrills, but focuses more on Bird's witty lyrics and deadpan delivery, as tracks like "Tea & Thorazine" and "The Idiot's Genius" display. Musically, Oh! The Grandeur keeps the live, one-take feeling of its predecessor, and Bird's fiddle playing is as expressive as ever.

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That thing I told you guys about

CLICK!

V.A. SHADOW MUSIC OF THAILAND (2008)

1960'S GROOVY THAILAND?
ARTIST`````VARIOUS
ALBUM`````SHADOW MUSIC OF THAILAND
GENRE`````POP, ROCK,
YEAR````````2008?
Recorded in the mid-‘60s in Bangkok, Thailand.

IN SHORT:
FFFFantastic selection of Thailand's pop-guitar groups of the 60's. Truly a great find.

ALBUM INFO:
SHADOW MUSIC was a broad term given to the Thai guitar pop movement of the 1960s and the groups that came out of it, all under the profound influence of early Western rock and roll. British instrumental wonders The Shadows (as in Cliff Richards & the Shadows) were the origin of the genre's title, also coined 'Wong Shadow' or early Thai 'String' music.

Shadow records were often marketed as 'Thai Modernized Music' which it was in the truest sense. Traditional Thai melodies were given the Shadow treatment; incorporating rock, surf, a-go-go, exotica, soul, blues, Latin and other worldly styles of the times. Inventive compositions and instrumental genius meet the occasional odd vocal arrangement and the results range from plaintive guitar and organ-driven lullabies to full-blown electric garage folk-psychedelia!

Featured on this collection are a handful of the leading recorded artists from the time; P.M. Pocket Music, The Son of P.M., P.M.7, Jupiter and Johnny Guitar. Throughout the 1960s, these groups forged a unique and highly self-referential Thai sound. One time pressing of 1500 LP copies and each of these beauties come in a full-color heavy-duty tip-on gatefold jacket featuring gorgeous original Thai Shadow LP artwork and of course 180 gram vinyl, so don't sleep on this one.

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Thx to http://knifefightingjesus.com for support

ETHIOPIQUES - BLEEDING ETHIOPIA (2009)

MOST IMPORTANT AND INFLUENTIAL MUSIC FROM ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING AFRICAN COUNTRIES
ARTIST`````VARIOUS
ALBUM`````ETHIOPIQUES - BLEEDING ETHIOPIA
GENRE`````JAZZ, FUNK, FUSION, R&B, TIGRIRNA MUSIC,
YEAR````````2009
COMPILATION BY BLEEDING PANDA

WHY?
This is one of my dearest compilations. It contains a personal selection from a 23 disc set of Ethiopian urban/funk/jazz/tigrirna music, mostly from the 60's and 70's.

Passage from "Haile's got a brand new bag" by Robin Denselow
Ethiopian music is very different from other African styles, perhaps because the country itself, with its long embrace of Christianity and no experience of western colonialism (though the Italians did invade the country in the second world war), has had such a different history. Musically, it has never been influenced by Cuban or other Latin styles, unlike west Africa. Instead, Ethiopian musicians looked to their own traditional music and to black America - a combination that came together in the extraordinary experiments of the 60s, when they created their gloriously distinctive fusion of local styles with American R&B, funk and free-form jazz.

INFO ABOUT THE SERIES:
Ethiopiques is a series of CD's featuring Ethiopian and Eritrean singers and musicians. Many of the Ethiopiques CDs compile various singles and albums that Amha Records, Kaifa Records, and Philips-Ethiopia released during the 1960s and 1970s in Ethiopia. Prominent singers and musicians from this era appearing on Ethiopiques releases include Alemayehu Eshete, Asnaketch Worku, Mahmoud Ahmed, Mulatu Astatke, and Tilahun Gessesse. However, some Ethiopiques releases are new recordings.

The Paris-based world music record label Buda Musique began the Ethiopiques series in 1997 and initially compiled Ethiopian popular music releases from the 1960s and 1970s. Some of the subsequent CDs focus on traditional music, while others highlight individual musicians or specific styles. As of September 2007, there have been 23 releases. None of the CDs feature today's synthesizer-based Ethiopian pop music. Francis Falceto is the editor of the series.

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PETAR DUNDOV - ESCAPEMENTS (2008)

REAL TECHNO REVIVAL
ARTIST`````PETAR DUNDOV
ALBUM`````ESCAPEMENTS
GENRE`````TECHNO, MINIMAL, RETRO
YEAR````````2008

WHOA!
Now, since i tend to trust in techno music ever since I started listening to it and since I always knew that it doesn't matter when mainstream techno easily and frequently starts to sound like pure empty crap (just like the rest of the mainstream music) and that this genre should be respected by critics just like any other genre, great examples of electronic repetitive brilliance always come as a huge breathe of fresh air which reinforce my desire to either dig up old stuff or wait 'till something new comes along.

Escapements is a beautiful injection and a slap in the face to the industry. It's retro in the truest possible way, the songs reach climax using only the hihats and crashes (just like it used to be) and the melodies never, ever stop. Read the great review below from some unknown source.



ALBUM REVIEW AND SOME BIO:
Techno music is a funny old game at the moment. The merest hint of fashion, or ego, and the old guard are up in arms. In 2008 then, they are marching with pitchforks on Berlin, waving banners proclaiming ‘we want the old Hawtin back’. It’s understandable, of course. This music was never about image, less so personality (put up your hand if you remember Rising High’s infamous “Faceless Techno Bollocks” t-shirts). It was owned by no one, a treasure discovered by those fortunate and open-minded enough to appreciate it simply on the basis of form. A lot has changed. Mixmag proclaimed that techno is now officially ‘sexy’ music. Er… it always was, thanks. But cue media frenzy. Everyone’s moved to Berlin. ‘Minimal’ is a — get this — ‘new sound’... don’t make me laugh. Sure, there is a slew of copycat, dullard 4/4 records going around that are about as cutting-edge as the Kaiser Chiefs, but this does not a musical revolution make. Far from it. And yet, as always, there are gems to be discovered by the adventurous. Techno isn’t dead, it’s just suffering from a dodgy botox job and a sketchy PR consultant.

Petar Dundov is a Croatian producer whose new album Escapements is a thing of absolute joy. Despite a number of previous releases, including one for Jeff Mills, I hadn’t come across his work until now. What Dundov has achieved so effortlessly here is to cross the apparent gaps in the world of techno, to remind us all of some things we may have forgotten. This album takes the word ‘minimal’ and applies it in the classic sense — long, meandering pieces that seem to do little yet are constantly evolving. Drums are pared right back, whole tracts of the album are powered by a simple kick and nothing else. You get the feeling that the club will explode with the momentous arrival of a hi-hat. And it will. But that won’t be for the lack of anything else going on. This album contains heavy synth action. This album contains a lot of — gasp! — arpeggios. For the oldest of the old guard, there was a time, fabled in the history books, when even trance was not a dirty word. Before it was co-opted by fluoro-adorned crusties in the '90s, trance and techno were almost interchangeable terms, particularly if a track was long and repetitive. Escapements harks back to this period and beyond (She In Purple gives a nod to Italo disco), but it’s not wilfully retro. It simply takes the perceived rules of modern minimal, techno and trance and throws them out of the window to create something rare: a truly honest record. And it bangs. The single Oasis is a monster. It is almost impossible to explain in words — just one of those tunes that is ten minutes of big sound system perfection, a guaranteed future classic. But Escapements also contains deep and reflective elements: Waterfall, for example, could easily be straight out of the Motor City with its big strings and deep, driving groove. Dundov’s not afraid to throw the drums out entirely either, with both opener Kanon and closer Anja’s Theme stripped bare of them.

So refreshing then, to hear this album. This is about as real and purist as techno music gets in 2008, and proves there’s plenty of life left in the old dog yet. Time to stop worrying about Hawtin’s jedi-knight-meets-flashing-bluetooth-box shenanigans and start concentrating on great techno records again. Make no mistake, in Escapements Petar Dundov has supplied us with one.

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EDEN AHBEZ - EDEN'S ISLAND (1960)

One of the goofiest efforts in the goofy exotica genre -- and brother, that's saying something, given the stiff competition.
ARTIST`````EDEN AHBEZ
ALBUM`````EDEN'S ISLAND
GENRE`````EXOTICA, KITSCH, OBSCURO
YEAR````````1960

I'M BACK
First, I want to thank everybody for their kind words of support for this blog of mine. I practically gave it up some months ago but then I checked my downloads which skyrocketed recently and started reading a shitload of positive comments. Obviously, people are diggin' my eclectic taste in everything that ends with .mp3. So -- I am back. Kachoing!

So, here's a great, great (one of the best) goofy odd 60's exotica albums of all times from one of the weirdest and unexplained composers ever. It's kitschy and almost child-like atmosphere, brilliance of arrangement with tasteful yet naive choruses of paradises lost and psychedelic roads of calmness, definitely lock-up the age of relaxed psy music makers into the 60's. It is very strange how far and "romantic" this record sounds. It's like we will never hear something this childish done with such an effort for detail.

WHO'S THE ODDBALL?
Ahbez boasted a resumé as colorful and mysterious as his music. Born Alexander Aberle in Brooklyn in the early 20th century, he changed his name in the 1940s shortly after moving to (where else?) California. A hippie a good 20 years before his time, he cultivated a Christ-like appearance with his shoulder-length hair and beard. He claimed to live on three dollars a week, sleeping outdoors with his family, eating vegetables, fruits, and nuts.

One of the genuinely strange characters of pre-rock American popular music, Eden Ahbez's main claim to fame was as the composer of "Nature Boy." The melodically and lyrically beguiling song was a huge pop hit for Nat King Cole; it would be covered by many other reputable performers, including Frank Sinatra, John Coltrane, Sarah Vaughan, and the Great Society (Grace Slick's pre-Jefferson Airplane band). But Ahbez's modern stature rests on a 1960 album that mixed exotica album and beatnik poetry. It rates as one of the goofiest efforts in the goofy exotica genre -- and brother, that's saying something, given the stiff competition.



ALBUM REVIEW:
Musically, Ahbez' 1960 outing was squarely in line with the exotica fad, utilizing then-unusual combinations of instruments (flutes, bongos, vibes) and sound effects like creaking boats to conjure up the aural equivalent of a tropical breeze. Unlike Martin Denny or Arthur Lyman, Ahbez often added his own spoken poetry, speaking of coves, paradise, and other idyllic subjects. Occasionally he even sang in a thin voice (he's no Nat King Cole). Even those who share Ahbez' yearning for heaven on earth must concede that his recorded effort to invoke these states is, to put it bluntly, sophomoric. Yes, it's good for some snickers from the exotica revival crowd, but that's almost definitely not what he had in mind when he was making this.

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