Sunday 20 January 2008

VA - Les Disque Du Crepuscule: From Brussels With Love

I cannot write a review good enough for this LP so heres a stolen one from Boomkat which comes close to describing what a stunning collection of work this is, definately one more for the classical, electronic, ambient, abstract fans out there but I would recommend it to every good music lover since it's such beautiful, timeless music. 'This really is a treat - a brand new re-mastered edition of one of the most elusive, sought-after compilations of all time. I know I have a habit of banging on about how rubbish compilations are (and for the most part, they really are) but occasionally there are one or two which really catch my ear. This isn't one of those occasional compilations either, this particular one is a 'once in a lifetime' affair, the sort of compilation which absolutely never comes to life anymore - it has everything you could possibly ask for. Firstly, every track is a winner... yep no matter what sort of music you're interested in, you have no grounds for criticising one moment on this record, secondly it's all exclusive material. For some reason, the label managed to secure not only a gang of interested (and interesting) artists but managed to procure great material out of them, great exclusive material - something almost unheard of. Thirdly, and one might say most importantly, this is supremely varied with tracks ranging from modern classical to new wave with room in the middle for a couple of 'ambient' interviews. Rarely (especially in 1980 when the comp was originally released on limited edition cassette) do collections of work come this varied and work so perfectly - in fact this sounds like the sort of cd a rabid muso friend might make for you after hours of long, hard thought. The sort of cd you'd listen to and think 'wow this is musical perfection but it would never be released, it's way too risky'. It took Belgian label 'Les Disques du Crepuscule' to actually muster up the courage to put something like this together, and with connections to Manchester's Factory label and also to influential composer Wim Mertens they managed to reign in an unusually large and bizarre sphere of influence. Where else would you be able to hear Gavin Bryars, Harold Budd and Michael Nyman next to Durutti Column, New Order (appearing here with a totally exclusive track, which has never appeared on other collections), Bill Nelson, Belgian no-wavers The Names and Joy Division super-producer Martin Hannett? 'From Brussels with Love' is the most wonderful of things, a disc packed with ideas so fresh and so groundbreaking that they still sound life-changing even today - and without a doubt is the perfect introduction to a label which would influence so many of today's classic independents. To put it simply, this is a music collector's wet dream and one of the most seminal, inspired compilations of all time. ESSENTIAL PURCHASE!' Courtesy of Boomkat

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Monday 14 January 2008

VA - DJ Harvey Presents Sarcastic Disco Vol 2

Some quality leftfield disco damage compiled and mixed by DJ Harvey. I believe this was a Japan only promotional only item that came out in 2001 but still sounds remarkably fresh. The info link below gives you a lot more details. Also, the 'official' tracklisting doesn't give away any track names although the link below gives you the majority. Highly recommended.

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Monday 7 January 2008

VA - Arthur King & Uncle T Present Gangsta Boogie

A top quality mixtape as requested by someone who enjoyed the DJ Muro mix below with over 50 tracks mixed in under 80 minutes. Various classic funk/soul tunes which have been sampled numerous times over the years in hip hop, primarily in west coast gangsta stuff. Check the tracklisting link for more info. If anyone else has any requests, please feel free to email/leave a message and I will see if I have it...
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Friday 4 January 2008

VA - DJ Muro Presents 45AREpm

A wicked promo comp that came out last year to celebrate Staple Design's 10th anniversary. Along with some rarer stuff it also contains a lot of well known soul samples that some of you will no doubt recognize and which have been used by producers such as Kanye West, DJ Premier, Jus Blaze, RZA and J Dilla to name a few. The description on the disc says: 'Every track on this compliation is recorded using 2 turntables and vinyl records only. No part of this CD was digitally enhanced in anyway. In addition,every record was originally meant to be played back at 33rpm. DJ Muro has masterfully created this mix whereby he plays each record at the incorrect speed of 45rpm.' It sounds like it shouldn't work but it does so brilliantly. A compilation that I guarantee you will keep coming back to. Enjoy.

Tracklisting
  1. Star Children – Mighty Ryeders
  2. Proud Of You – Johnny Guitar Watson
  3. I Too Am Wanting – Syreeta
  4. A Warm Summer Night – Chic
  5. I Get High (On Your Memory) – Freda Payne
  6. I’m Just Doing My Job – Bloodstone
  7. Seven Days – The Moments
  8. I Wanna Give You My Love ‘till You Scream – Alfonzo
  9. Out Of My Life – Bloodstone
  10. Phatom Lover – Leon Ware
  11. Sharing – Vitamin E
  12. Mariya – Family Circle
  13. Cause I Love You – Lenny Williams
  14. Make A Little Love To Me – Isaac Hayes
  15. A Few More Kisses To Go – Isaac Hayes
  16. Capricorn – The Cannonball Adderley Quintet
  17. Maracas Beach – Grover Washington Jr
  18. My Funny Valentine – Dianne Reeves
  19. Starlight & You – Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes
  20. It’s A Terrible Thing To Waste Your Love – The Masqueraders
  21. Dying To Live – Edgar Winter
  22. You Mean Everything To Me – Black Ivory
  23. Faithful To The End – D.J. Rogers
  24. Call Me – Aretha Franklin
  25. Wish That You Were Mine – Manhattans
  26. Strangers In Dark Corners – Tavares
  27. Baby Come Home – Willie Hutch
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