Monday, 9 November 2009

R IS FOR RENEGADE SOUNDWAVE


Despite a dodgy fondness for East End crims, one of the finest dance groups to come from London proper. Their career was a game of two halves, covering the change from primitive dance sounds as exemplified by their "Probably A Robbery" to bigger, more sophisticted beats of their later work in the "Howyoudoin" period. They made cracking tunes and were pretty damn fine live, when I saw them at the Megadog (they rarely played live).

Formed in London during the late '80s, Renegade Soundwave applied the punk and industrial ethic to both dub and dancefloor electronica, in good company with fellow sound terrorists throughout the decade, from Cabaret Voltaire to Skinny Puppy and Meat Beat Manifesto. The trio of Gary Asquith, Danny Briottet and Carl Bonnie debuted on Rhythm King with the 1987 single "Kray Twins," and moved to Mute one year later for an EP, Biting My Nails. Though Renegade Soundwave spent two years recording material for an album, the release of Soundclash and In Dub within six months vindicated them somewhat. The group's only hit, "Probably a Robbery" (from Soundclash), made the British Top 40 early in 1990, but Bonnie left later that year for a solo career. Asquith and Briottet spent several years in isolation before emerging in 1994 with the "Renegade Soundwave" single and the album How You Doin? After playing their first live date in history during late 1994, the duo released Brixton and The Next Chapter of Dub the following year. The compilation RSW 87-95 emerged in 1996. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

A selection of mixes from their singles. If you want more RSW, you should get their "Best of" CD - Renegade Soundwave 87-95:

Renegade Soundwave - Brixton (Sabres of Paradise Mix) mediafire

Posted by Ctelblog at 00:06 0 comments
Labels: , , ,

Sunday, 8 November 2009

R IS FOR RETRIBUTION


Retribution was a UK dance super-group formed in 1994 around the Drum Club to protest against the Criminal Justice Bill and its repetitive beats-related provisions. A classic piece of 'lawnorder' legislation to appeal to (appease?) the right-wing media scared about young people doing things they couldn't understand and might lose control of. Good politics doesn't always make for good music, as largely in this case. It was released on the Weatherall-related Sabrettes label. Expect thumping techno beats in a repetitive maner.

The group comprised:
- Dave Watts - Fun-Da-Mental
- Lol Hammond - Drum Club
- Charlie Hall - Drum Club
- Youth - Killing Joke
- Steve Hillage - system 7
- Miquette Giraudy - System 7
- Kim Lewis - Drum Club
- Annabel Simmons - Drub Club

The sleeve exhorted:
"REPEAT AFTER ME, REPEAT AFTER ME, REPEAT AFTER ME. This. This. This is about our f***in' freedom you're talking about. This. This. This is our f***in' lives you're talking about. This. This. This is where young Britain proves that we are ready to take the law into our own hands. This. This. This is where the votes of millions of young party goers could help remove you from power. This. This. This is where the electronic music proves to the world that repetitive beats are the most powerful, unifying medium in the world. This. This. This is where a classless party scene shows the Tories what a classless society really is. This. This. This is where we prove that repetitive beats do more for unity and racial integration than any scheme devised by a suited whore who wouldn't know a council estate from a Volvo estate. This. This. This is where we dispel the government's misguided belief that the hypnotic power of repetitive beats is a new form of drug taking. This. This This is where we take the Government to task and declare war on their double standards and hypocrisy regarding democracy. This. This. This is where we warn you that your future in power could well end.
This. This. This is judgement day. This. This. This is our day.

Ben Turner




Posted by Ctelblog at 16:08 0 comments
Labels: , , , ,

R IS FOR RELOAD


Reload were Mark Pritchard and Tom Middleton, aka the incredible Global Communication. This is top notch UK electronica or IDM from the early 90s.

As discogs says: "Reload was originally a Mark Pritchard solo project. Later Tom Middleton joined Mark on some of his Reload releases, and "& E621" (the name of a chemical flavour enhancer) was added to specify Middleton's involvement/flavour enhancement on a track (similar to the set-up with "Link & E621"). As Tom became more heavily involved on the Reload "A Collection of Short Stories" album, the "& E621" was scrapped, and Reload came to mean both Mark Pritchard and Tom Middleton. All Reload Remixes (except for the two on the Mystic Institute "Cyberdon EP") were done by both Mark and Tom together. Reload, in its current incarnation is once more a Mark Pritchard solo project."

Their stuff was never easy to find, which I guess is reflected in the price of their stuff today. They never had the profile of those on Warp Records at that time. One track from the album "A Collection of Short Stories" and the rest from the "Auto Reload EP Vol 2", both from 1993, both on Creation Records offshoot Infonet:

Reload - Peschi mediafire




Buy product
Posted by Ctelblog at 08:14 0 comments
Labels: ,

REPOST: DEATH IN VEGAS / TWO LONE SWORDSMEN


Death In Vegas and Andrew Weatherall on the re-post today.

Last time, I said: Death In Vegas were Richard Fearless (born c. 1971), DJ, artwork; Steve Hellier (left band in 1998), production, engineering; Tim Holmes (became a full-time member in 1998), production, engineering. But it was really Fearless' band.

As I said previously, Death In Vegas started out in the mid-1990s something close to the hip hop funk stylings of bands like the Chemical Brothers, although with more swing and indie sensibility. Their "Dead Elvis" album is well worth a listen. They then changed at the end of the 1990s into an electrorocksleeze band, for which try "The Contino Sessions" album.

Here are two mixes, one from each period. Rekkit dates from 1997 and Neptune City from 1999. Each of the mixes is linked by Andy Weatherall, in his Two Lone Swordsmen guise:

Death In Vegas - Rekkit Greeting From Lino Square Mixed by Two Lone Swordsmen mediafire

Death In Vegas - Neptune Concrete Funk 1 (Two Lone Swordsmen Mix) mediafire

Posted by Ctelblog at 03:29 0 comments
Labels: , ,

INDIE DANCE: HUMAN LEAGUE / HARDFLOOR


Stretching it a bit to call this indie dance, since The Human League started as an experimental synth band before becoming a synth pop band with their classic album "Dare". That was in the early 1980s. This post features a release in the mid-90s when they had one of their periodic attempts to re-start their career. On remix duty, German techno monsters Hardfloor.

The Human League are a British synthpop band. Formed in Sheffield in 1977, they achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s. They have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day. Originally an avant-garde all male synthesizer-based group from Sheffield, the only constant band member since 1977 is vocalist and songwriter Philip Oakey. Since 1987, the band has essentially been a trio of Oakey and long-serving female vocalists Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley (who joined the band in 1980), with various additional musicians. The Human League have influenced many electro-pop, other synthpop, and mainstream acts including Madonna, Moby and Little Boots. They have been sampled and covered by various artists including YMO, Ministry of Sound, Craig David, George Michael and Robbie Williams. Since 1978, they have released nine studio albums, twenty six singles (including 8 UK top 10 singles with 2 number one singles in the US/UK) and played over 350 live concerts. The Human League have sold an estimated 20 million records worldwide. Wiki

From 1995:




Posted by Ctelblog at 00:07 0 comments
Labels:

Saturday, 7 November 2009

R IS FOR RAE & CHRISTIAN


Manchester's Rae & Christian produced soulful funky downtempo house sounds on the influential Grand Central Records. Not really my thing, but we do have a Weatherall remix.

Rae & Christian emerged in the late '90s as a successor to the many stellar British production teams of the '90s, updating the rich urban grooves of Soul II Soul and Massive Attack with a bit more emphasis on classic hip-hop. The duo of Mark Rae and Steve Christian, often helped out by vocalist Veba, began recording together in 1995. Grand Central Records released several of their collaborative singles -- as well as a few solo singles by Rae -- beginning in 1996. The duo's debut album, Northern Sulphuric Soul, was released in late 1998. Sleepwalking followed three years later. The duo hooked up with Kinetic in late 2001 to mastermind the hypnotic collection Anotherlatenight for Rae & Christian's chill out favorites like Riton, Dubble D, Capoeira Twins and more. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

Rae & Christian - Swansong (Two Lone Swordsmen Vocal Mix) mediafire

Rae & Christian - Time To Shine mediafire

Rae & Christian - Swansong (Radio Edit) mediafire

Buy product
Posted by Ctelblog at 15:38 2 comments
Labels: ,

R IS FOR THE RUTHLESS RAP ASSASSINS


UK rap has never done very well, with buyers almost always preferring stuff from the US. An early pioneering group were the Ruthless Rap Assassins - "three guys from North Hulme". They included Kermit who would go on to be in Black Grape with Ex-Mondays' Sean Ryder. Perhaps it was the social reality of their lyrics, perhaps it was the accents, whatever they never got the success they deserved.

Manchester, England-based, and self-styled "North Hulme" soundsculptors comprising Dangerous "C" Carsonova (vocals, turntables), MC Kermit Le Freak (vocals) and Paul Roberts (guitar). Ruthless Rap Assassins formed in that district in the mid-80s, earning their reputation via local gigs. They were signed by EMI in 1987 after they had heard their debut single, "We Don't Care". Placed on the Syncopate subsidiary, the first result was the Killer Album, whose "Go Wild" effectively sampled Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild". Even better was "The Dream", which utilised the funked up groove of Cynade's "The Message" to underpin this tale of West Indians moving to England in the 50s, and the subsequent dashing of their hopes and spirits. The militant aesthetics of Killer Album came as something of a shock to those who still considered such daunting music the preserve of inner-city Americans. The follow-up selection, however, cut much deeper. Tracks like "Down And Dirty" proved an effective parody of rap's pre-occupation with matters sexual, while "No Tale, No Twist" observed some clever jazz touches. The group remained inventive and militant, the single "Justice (Just Us)', proving a particularly defiant swipe at the majority white populace. Though they split afterwards due to record label and public indifference, the Ruthless Rap Assassins" legacy as the first worthwhile UK hip hop band remains. NME.com




Ruthless Rap Assassins - mediafire

Posted by Ctelblog at 08:00 3 comments

R IS FOR REPUBLICA


Republica featured the singing talents of Saffron (ex-N-Joi) and Tim dorney (ex Flowered Up). Their brand of dance pop was extraordinarily successful in the USA, with smash-hit "Ready To Go" appearing at sports venues everywhere. They were much less successful in the UK and soon foundered.

As Brit-pop remained popular in England during the mid-'90s, Republica hit the charts with a sound closer in feel to '80s indie-dance groups such as the Pet Shop Boys and New Order. Vocalist Saffron was born in Nigeria, and began singing with club-staples N-Joi and the Shamen, as well as Jah Wobble. By 1995, she had met keyboard players Tim Dorney (previously with Flowered Up) and Andy Todd (who has produced Barbra Streisand and Bjork, among others). They began writing songs, and after recruiting guitarist Johnny Male and drummer Dave Barborossa, Republica debuted with the single "Out of the Darkness." U.K. indie-dance label Deconstruction signed the group and released its self-titled debut. From the album, "Ready to Go" became a hit both in England and in the States, where it stormed the alternative Top Ten during late 1996. The follow-up, 1998's Speed Ballads, only gained British distribution. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

They've featured on this blog before, so a different selection of tracks this time, including a rare Chemical Brothers mix:

Republica - Out Of This world (Chemical Brothers Dub) mediafire

Republica - Bitch (Way Out West Mix) mediafire

Republica - Holly (Club Mix) mediafire

Republica - Ready To Go (Original Mix) mediafire

Buy product
Posted by Ctelblog at 00:03 2 comments
Labels: , ,

Friday, 6 November 2009

R IS FOR RUBY


Ruby is Lesley Rankine. She was in shouty band Silverfish, before going solo in a trip hop vein. She released two albums and a number of singles. But she abandoned her musical career when Ruby didn't take off after a promising beginning. Which is a shame, as LP "Salt Peter" is definitely worth your time.

Ruby was the alias of singer Lesley Rankine, previously the frontwoman of Scottish noise-provocateurs Silverfish. After leaving the group in the wake of their 1993 LP Fuckin' Drivin' or What, Rankine relocated from London to Seattle to collaborate with producer Mark Walk, with whom she'd previously worked on material for the industrial collective Pigface. Dubbing the project Ruby -- a name shared by both of their maternal grandmothers -- Rankine and Walk created a sonic backdrop closer to electronica than the abrasive rock of the singer's past work, with the acclaimed LP Salt Peter appearing in 1995. The remix EP Stroking the Full Length followed a year later. Rankine returned to the outskirts of Scotland to make her follow up record, released in 2001. The album, Short Staffed At the Gene Pool saw Ruby on a new English label, Wichita Recordings and on Thirsty Ear in the US. The song "Grace" was mixed by several abstract producers including Warp Records artist Mira Calix. Later in 2001, Altered & Proud gathered more remixes from luminaries such as Max Tundra, Kid 606, Console and Dot Allison. ~ Jason Ankeny& Diana Potts, All Music Guide




Posted by Ctelblog at 15:42 0 comments
Labels: ,

R IS FOR ROYKSOPP


One of Norway's finest exports. Coming to fame on the UK's Wall of Sound Records, Royksopp produce house music as soft and warm as a polar bear blanket. They suffered from the "difficult second album" syndrome, but "Melody AM" is a lovely piece of work.

Norwegian duo Röyksopp compensated for the cold climes of their native Tromsø by making some of the warmest, most inviting downbeat electronica of the new millennium, exemplified by early singles like Eple and Poor Leno. The pair, Torbjørn Brundtland and Svein Berge, both grew up in Tromsø and began recording in the early '90s. Local-made-good Geir Jenssen (aka Biosphere) provided tutelage and almost convinced the duo to record for R&S sublabel Apollo. After a few years apart, Brundtland and Berge met up again in Bergen and re-formed Röyksopp in 1998.

The group released a few singles on Tellé, then signed up to the big beat label Wall of Sound. The Röyksopp debut was 2001's Eple single; both "Eple" and another track ("Poor Leno") earned slots on over a dozen chillout compilations that year or the next. Their first full-length, Melody A.M., appeared in late 2001. After spending a few years performing live and remixing artists including Beck and Annie, Röyksopp returned with new material in 2005; the single Only This Moment heralded the summer release of the duo's second album, The Understanding, which featured more traditionally structured songs than their earlier work. The live EP Röyksopp's Night Out appeared a year later, and the third album -- Junior, their most upbeat set -- came in March 2009. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

Royksopp - Eple (Bjorn Torske Mix) mediafire

Royksopp - Remind Me (James Zabielas Ingeborg Mix) mediafire

Posted by Ctelblog at 08:02 0 comments
Labels:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)