As Flies To Wanton Boys We Are For The Gods

The last day of the year, time to get 2019 over and done with. I said in my end of year review that musically it's been a bumper year but in many other ways 2019 has been a headlong descent into the abyss, a continuous political nightmare with no way out for at least five years. Johnson looks set to carry out the formal separation of the UK from the EU at the end of January, getting Brexit done as he hammered home during five weeks of campaigning. His majority in parliament and electoral mandate gives him the freedom to do it as he pleases. Some kind of hard Brexit will be done by the end of 2020 with the Farage/Johnson fanboys and fan girls triumphant. Grim as fuck. In the USA imperial tyrant toddler Donald Trump is in the process of being impeached but it doesn't seem to actually mean anything as the Republicans in the senate will fall in line and clear him regardless. Again, grim as fuck.

*shakes head, slaps cheeks, exhales*

Blogging is a good platform to celebrate the positive and to find the best in things and in these circumstances you've got to get your kicks where you can. I posted this clip at the end of the summer but it remains one of my highlights of 2019. Back in August Eric Cantona stood up at the UEFA to receive the President's Award, a recognition of his commitment in helping to improve the lives of others and as 'a man who refuses compromise, stands up for his values and puts his heart and soul into supporting the causes he believes in'. In accepting the award Cantona quoted King Lear and then went off at an even further tangent...



“As flies to wanton boys, we are for the gods. They will kill us for the sport. Soon, the science will not only be able to slow down the ageing of the cells, soon the science will fix the cells to the state and so we will become eternal. Only accidents, crimes, wars will still kill us but unfortunately crimes and wars will multiply. I love football.”

I ripped the audio from the clip above and have dropped it into playlists and onto compilation CDs. You can do the same if you want. 

Eric Cantona speech August 2019

This came out in the summer, a long slow deep house thumper from Scott Fraser and Louise Quinn. It still sounds like a good way to spend ten minutes. 



And then there's this one from Roisin Murphy, one of the most creative, consistent and exuberant writers and performers on the planet. In June I fell hook, line and sinker for Incapable. Her next masterpiece Narcissus came out in November and is disco perfection. I didn't post it at the time and today feels like as good a day to do it as any.



Happy new year everyone. Have a good one tonight whether you're in or out, going big or staying small and to quote Mr Weatherall from his monthly transmission for NTS radio 'don't let the grubby little opportunists drag you down'. See you in 2020 for more of the same. 

Together More

Together More is the latest release on Andrew Weatherall's Bird Scarer label- BS007 if you're keeping a count- from Scott Fraser and vocals from Louise Quinn, a slow burning, deep house rumble, a track with a kind of dark energy. The flipside of the limited edition 12" is an Andrew Weatherall remix and in a weird and unexpected turn of events I'm digging the original version more than the remix at the moment.



Back in 2012 Scott Fraser's A Life Of Silence was the second Bird Scarer release, a 12" that is one of the best releases of its kind of the last decade. That may sound like hyperbole but it's a magnificent beast- nine minutes plus of juddering, synth led beauty with a bassline like prime mid 80s Peter Hook and a choppy guitar part.

A Life Of Silence (Timothy J. Fairplay's 'Fall Of Shame' Remix)

October's Not For Everyone

All the trees round here have suddenly gone into autumn mode, all going to reds, golds and browns from the green of summer. Last week Andrew Weatherall returned to NTS radio for another edition of Music's Not For Everyone, more mind bending music from the outer and inner reaches by bands and artists you've never heard of but go scurrying off to investigate. I do anyway.



Weatherall's had another busy year. In January and February he released two albums, one under his own name titled Convenanza and one in partnership with Nina Walsh as The Woodleigh Research Facility. Both are still in residence near by stereo. Convenanza has been remixed by various friends into a new companion album called Consolamentum with new mixes by Red Axes, The Emperor Machine, Timothy J Fairplay, Justin Robertson, Vox Low, Solar Bears, Duncan Gray, Heretic, David Holmes, Bernard Fevre and Scott Fraser. The cd and vinyl versions have slightly different tracks which means buying both if you're a sad completist. This one is the one for me right now, Scott Fraser turning the spectral Ghosts Again into a piano house monster (with a tinge of mournfulness still there).

Airborne, Travelling

We got back from camping tired but largely dry having had a cracking weekend in the Ulverston area, no wifi, no signal. My hay fever went a bit mad last week and I felt really shitty on the Friday night but recovered to enjoy Saturday. It was not even spoiled that much by listening to England lose to Italy on a tiny radio while sitting around a camp fire. Next stop- defeat to Uruguay, followed by defeat to Costa Rica. Drew- I have no expectations of England winning at all. And in a way, I don't mind, if they at least play well while losing.

Ellis Island Sound's Regions album is one of my favourites of this year, along with the ones from Pete Molinari and Hollie Cook. Regions is laid back, funky and from somewhere midway between krautrock and Afrobeat (or an English version of those). The lead single Intro, Airborne, Travelling had a couple of remixes. This one by Scott Fraser (from Mr Weatherall's Scrutton Street axis) toughens it up and stretches it out.

Intro, Airborne, Travelling (Scott Fraser Remix)

Night Navigator

Something deep, dark and sexy for Saturday night, brand new from Richard Sen and remixed by Scott Fraser. Somewhere in the intersection of acid, techno and house.

Diego

I love this picture of Diego Maradona in his Boca Juniors shirt and carpet slippers. I saw Diego Maradona play once. In the 1983-4 season United drew Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winner's Cup. Away in the first leg United came home two-nil  down, centre back Graham Hogg diverting the ball into his own net right at the end of the game. Two weeks later Barca came to Old Trafford for a match that still stands out for me as the best game I've ever attended. We didn't have much hope of going through. Two-nil down,a Barca away goal would finish us. As well as Maradona, then ascending to 'best player in the world' status, they had mop-haired midfield maestro Bernd Schuster in their side as well. Old Trafford was crammed to the rafters, Maradona barely got a kick and Frank Stapleton and Bryan Robson scored the three goals that sent us through to the semis (a tie against Juventus, who had a team containing Boniek, Platini and Rossi amongst others. Another amazing night at the football, from when European nights were a rarity rather than an expectation). Robson left the pitch on the shoulders of the thousands of fans who poured onto the pitch at the final whistle. Not me, as my brother frequently reminds me. I didn't want to get clobbered by a copper. At the Juventus game a copper threatened to break my arm if I tried to walk down a certain gangway again. Friendly chaps the GMP.

None of which has anything to do with this song I found recently. It's one of those deeply clubby chuggers, Love From Outer Space style jobs. Very good. May wear the carpet out if played late at night in subdued lighting through some decent speakers. Headman featuring Scott Fraser and Douglas McCarthy remixed by Hardway Bros.

A Night With The Machines

If you've got three hours of listening time to spare you could do a lot worse than to spend it in the company of this Scott Fraser mix, from Balearic Social. Loads of slo-mo chugging and lovely washes of ambient synths.

A totally inadequate description.

Brunswick Drive

Brunswick Drive by Black Merlin was the third release on Weatherall's Bird Scarer Records. I have this one and Bird Scarer 002 though missed out on Bird Scarer 001. Does that irk me? Yes it does. This is the B-side, remixed by Scott Fraser. High quality electronic sounds for Saturday morning. No dl, listen only- it's a vinyl only series, part of the Bird Scarer aesthetic.

Clandestino

Scott Fraser is part of the the Weatherall studios bunker complex. His Life Of Silence 12" on Bird Scarer Records last year was a Bagging Area favourite. There's nearly two hours of Scott Fraser djing at Clandestino, all throbbing bass, moody synths, kick drums, oscillating wobbles and more besides. Well worth sticking on to brighten your weekend or to top it off if it's been a good one.

Henri Gaudier-Brzeska was an sculptor who died during the First World War, which dates this photo to pre-1914 i.e. one hundred years ago. Somehow photography has collapsed time because this photo does not look a century old, does it?

Paraphrase Mine

This sailor in the 1940s returned home to Whitby and found (hopefully) his child waiting for him along with his sweetheart.

Scott Fraser has made some funky, dirty electronic stuff this year. His Light Sleeper ep is worth getting hold of if you like that kind of thing.

Paraphrase Mine

Life Of Silence

Timothy J Fairplay's remix of Scott Fraser's A Life Of Silence, second release on Weatherall's Bird Scarer Records. No download, vinyl 12" only. Also the visuals are rather good (if very retromaniac). Think New Order may be in here somewhere sonically.

Centreville Lapse (And Man Ray)

Some faceless dance music with a Man Ray photo.

Faceless dance music- Timothy J Fairplay remixing Scott Fraser's Centreville Lapse, from a recent e.p. of the same name. Lovely, late night, melodic, slo-mo electronic stuff. Timothy has a 12" The Last Reel, currently out of stock somewhere near you and an album not yet released.

Man Ray portrait- Constantin Brancusi, Romanian modernist sculptor, rocking the wild beard and cardigan look, which may be 'trending' this spring.

Centreville Lapse (Timothy J Fairplay Remix)