old ghosts come back : FAX and joy zipper

hell.o

it's mad what some people take down to their local charity shop

now, i fully understand how good stuff ends up in the bins of charity shops in student areas, but i live in the middle of nowhere, a place where coldplay are the cutting edge. so imagine my shock and downright excitement when i chanced upon a mint copy of Pete Namlooks 'namlook 2' album. released way back in 93 (ish) on the genre defining FAX  label, namlook 2 is a live recording (as were all the namlook x albums i seem to recall), in which 74 minutes of the usual electronic noises, swooshes and such, are made under the banner 'the dutch side of the milky way'.

now, if you like me, have a secret stash of FAX releases waiting for that pension cash-in day, then you will know that golden era FAX cds are rather collectable on well known auction sites as the originals were released in limited (1000) copies, the ultimate 'gotta catch em all' situation

so i was rather chuffed. however, despite not having time nor inclination to jump into 74 minute drones and random white noises again like its 1994 all over again, i decided to try this out. and woe betide me, it's rather lovely stuff, especially when one has to work and needs something to sooth the brain.

thankfully my original addiction for "ambient crack" lasted a little over 12 months, and in that time i amassed quite a FAX collection i must say. maybe with my current love for all things dogsquad, richard h. kirk related i should completely devolve and just get the dusty box out of the archive and forget all about chords-n-guitars and begin to lie down again when listening to music. after all, a change is as good as a rest.

 

like i said, it's mad what some people take down to their local charity shop - so look carefully.

 

in other news : word has reached me that joy zipper have decided to crack on with recording a new album and not bother releasing last years 'the heartlight set' in america, as this would mean that they would continue to be one album out of date in certain areas of the world (ie usa), so jump on those import copies as the album is a perfect set of songs that do have several chords and melodies.

 

even more news : reviews for the new sonic youth, boykillboy, and being 747 albums have been posted in the usual place.

 

now - please forgive me if i go quiet for a while - i need to respect the silence

 

mark e

ireallylovemusic.

 

 

chicago - the funk

hey let's forget about any chances of a summer and get straight to the action.

 

last week in chicago provided plenty of musical enjoyment - so here's a quick rundown of the adventures of ireallylovemusic.

first up as mentioned previously was the thomas dolby gig at maryrs bar up in the lakeview area. a solo show. which considering he hasn't released any music for many a year, made me concerned i was about to partake in an evening with thomas a piano and little else. well my concerns were way off course, several hundred mirror images of oneself (grey hair and blad spots) were out in force to catch up with the mad professor of pop. all the classics were laid out if pure clean digital form, with thomas being a true showman, gadgets, stories and tunes that sound as fresh and wonderful now as they did back then were dusted down and given a spit and clean. songs as perfect as 'windpower', 'one of our submarines is missing' and my all time fave dolby track' 'budapest by blimp' literally gave me goosebumps - vocally, thomas used effects to layer and elevate to spellbinding effect.

the extended standing ovation after each track obviously came as a shock to the bespecatcled one, but he obviously forgets that for over 10 years we have had no detail as to what is going on. so his reappearance was very welcome - and the crowd definitely was going to make sure he knew just how appreciated and loved his music still is, despite the fact that mopst of his back catalogue is deleted (i mean 'the flat earth' is a true classic!). catch his forthcoming one off in london - if only to see the elevating keyboard and shout 'science!' at every opportunity (hint : don't)

 

so the next day with the hangover-n-post gig euphoria in action i happened upon a couple of colourful tracksuited guys outside chi-town mainstay marshall fields. quickly spotting each with a set of cds i struck a conversation. seems like i had chanced upon a local hip hop guru called barry, who releases records under the alias 'ill-noiz' (who's from illinois - geddit?). so after exchanging pleasantries, and catching an impromtu performance, i came away with his solo joint, 'illegal'. dropping the cd into the machine back at the hard rock hotel, i quickly realised that i had struck lucky. while the flow on the street was more r-n-b flavoured (not my thing), the album is head boppin' straight up hip hop, slow-n-moody beats, plenty of attitude and some raw lyrical wordplay.

keep your eyes peeled for the man to get noticed by the relevant people. the album proves that major labels are missing out on some fine quality - check the smoothness of 'smoke my life away' with backing harmonies by yaya, or the club friendly loops of 'aja' (featuring jason). it's all very authentic sounding with simple stripped down production (12tones, red october, mastermind) keeping it tight-n-funky.

like i said - i struck lucky. very.

 

next up on my adventure was the friday night advneture that involved a few hours inside the funky budda club. little did i know prior to my arrival, it was to be the launch night for a local bands second album. royce are an synth-guitars indie pop band on a local hip hop label, galapagos4. the band play wonderfully addictive pop that references air and beck, while adding a dash of de la soul into the mix. pure perfection for sunshine filled days, if we were so lucky. being the cheeky (ie drunk) monkey i am, i came away with a copy of their excellent new album, 'tuff love', in order to find out more.

subsequently, for the last few days, this album has been on constant rotation. there is a mood and feel to the album that ranges from pure dance hip hop pop of 'girls on bikes', to slightly more surreal and off kilter electro synth sonics. it's the sort of album that if certain tracks were played on radio 1 during the daytime schedule would easily pull in the punters, both casual listeners and the more discerning of folks.

so there you have it : several top recommendations people : royce, ill-noiz, and of course thomas dolby.

it's a mad mad world.

onwards and upwards

mark e

ireallychicago

 

 

 

industrial sized enjoyment

folks.

is it me - but the charts are full of miserable bands at the moment who need to cheer the fuck up.

where's the fun?

thankfully the ireallylovemusic inbox provided the necessaries today in full poptastic form to wipe away any such moodiness.

basically on 17th july 2006, the lovely memphis industries are releasing the long awaited album by the polka dotted mistresses of pop, 'the pipettes', 'we are the pipettes', 33 minutes. 14 tracks of pure 60's pop innocence, but with a devilish grin lurking beneath the shine. the album rattles along at a whip cracking speed, loves you and leaves you hangin on for more.

the perfect antidote to the glum that saturates the airwaves.

in the same package,  was the new one album by absentee, 'schmotime', which is far far better than i would have ever believed from the cd-r i received by them a long long time ago (pre-band setup), as well as forthcoming albums by black neon (ohhhh i like this, but i will save this for another day), and beach boys loving the russian futurists.

best label of the year (again) for me ?

quite possibly

mark e

ireallylovemusic

checking in ..

folks.

so here i am back in front of a keyboard.

feels weird considering the last 10 days or so. first things first.

chicago is a gorgeous place to visit - i cannot recommend it enough if anyone gets the opportunity. stunning skyline, warm atmosphere, i met so many cool/interesting people, of whom i will be in touch with shortly, if they happen to chance upon this part of my world.

so, to the music side of things. well despite being in the city of the home of the blues, acid house and wax trax, i actually managed to catch uk synth pop genius thomas dolby live in a small packed out venue called martyrs. the gig was fantastic. thomas has decided to re-enter the pop music world, and for me personally the night was very special.

i hope to get that written up in a more enjoyable form over the next few days, so please bear with me as i have to attack the pile of cds that greeted me upon my homecoming.

aside from yet another grizzly england world cup song (featuring sham 69 and graham coxon !), the pile was full of stuff that i need to check out :

new sonic youth album, boykillboy album (initial play didn't reveal too much beyond it being a direct rip off of bloc party/the departure/franz ferdy and their brand of revised new wave), new release from new flesh, and i may even try out the dirty pretty things record, but lets not get too carried away.

in reality all i would like to do is check out a new shining ep on the bleeporama label dust science, by someone called dan curtin.

so, when things settle down, i'll hopefully get the ball rolling again..

onwards

mark e

ireallylovemusic

stuff this

folks.

the pile hasn't been sorted due to real life pressures.

so here's a quick rundown on how to soundtrack the return of the sun :

king biscuit time : black gold - despite the fact that steve mason has pulled the plug on this new project following the demise of the best alt.pop band ever (the beta band in case you hadn't noticed), the label are still going to release the album. so if you've ever enjoyed pop music at its most interesting in which machine noises and proper instruments are blended together while steve does his trademarked layered vocal tricks. basically a damn fine album full of lovely twists and turns. let's just hope he's ok : link

hernan cattaneo : sequential - double cd of fairly stand house-techno music. beautiful packaging, some gorgeous grooves mixed to perfection, but a little too clean for my tastes.  out now on renaissance

national forest : one million - second album from this bedroom boffin of sweet and delicate electronica with some proper instruments added to the mix. did someone say that folktronica was dead. not going to make end of year lists, but one that will make people feel all cozy and warm. several tracks feature welcome vocals by such folks as the lead singer from morning runner, matthew greener, manda rin and jacob fletcher. summary : a nice album for nice people. link

statik presents grindie (vol 1). oh yes grindie. grime + indie innit. this is a mad 75 minute mash mix by scene leader, statik. features such clashes between franz ferdinand, maximo park, bloc party etc etc, and the grime beat masters such as lethal bizzle, and a lot of statik touchups. so, having read up on this buzz for a while now, do i actually like it? well apart from the name (which is awful) i guess i do. it's often a wild and dynamic noise, and if in the wrong mood will induce headaches aplenty. but it's an interesting direction for all concerned, and may even surprise us over the next few months if the experiment actually clicks and generates some proper crush collision songs. apparently this 64 track mash is going to be available for free from certain record shops. so eyes sharp, or check out statiks myspace page : link

anyway, best start packing the suitcase.

crack'on

mark e

ireallylovemusic

 

 

ireallylovemusic vs chicago : sods law in full effect.

hell.o

expect a period of surreal calm over @ ireallylovemusic, as in less than 7 days i head off to the big city lights of chicago on work related funkiness. subsequently 7 days of gig opportunites meant i checked the listings, and, would you adam and eve it, the ninjatune crews are in town the day before i get there ! one self, coldcut and even dj vadim each performing a mere few hours prior to my arrival.

so that's one big grrrrr i got going on.

then, last week, i receive the new cd by deadstring brothers. a 1972 exile on main street styled country rock-n-roll album on bloodshot records. so, checking the sleeve art more closely, i find that the label are chi-town based. way hey. not only that, but the label is home to one jon langford - oh yes, one of the legendary three johns himself.

however, once again, a little digging reveals that the band are to play the nearest gig-centric town the day i have to pack and say ta ra to the family.

i mean, am i jinxed or what ?

having said all that, i have found that thomas dolby is playing a couple of shows at a venue called matrys, so that could be interesting.

of course, if there are such things as readers of this gubbins are from the home of wax trax, then please give me some pointers as to how/where/when i can fill some of my time.

onwards !

mark e

ireallylovemusic

lily allen - the mixtape

hell.o.

 

well, before the world goes nuts over this new pop princess, lets get a few things down on record :

 

- lily has a fucking huge amount of friends on myspace. thus proving me wrong that that place doesn't work, yet again. more detail : here

- lily is the offspring from funny man keith allen. i watched his documentary on that king of bling bloke recently. hmm. oh, and what with his involvement with fat les, i can understand why people are not keen to find out his daughter is going to storm the charts this summer. i put it to you, they are fun haters.

- lily is a strange nu-breed of pop star, combining a little of annies electro cool, a chunk of mia/diplo beats, and a slice of lady sovs sassiness all wraped in dose of cuteness. top of the pop beckons.

- lily's album has been given some touch up by friends to the stars, mark ronson. in my book, this is a good thing. the man knows how to craft a fine dance-pop tune as well as give it the cut-n-paste action, so lets get it going.

- lily has been given space in vogue, spun the decks at yoyo, and interviewed by a nutty blogger : here

- so far only one record is available - an ultra limited 7" on emi's regal imprin that is now available via ebay for a chunk-o-cash, though i suspect that the track, 'ldn' will indeed get a proper release sharpish as soon as this first phase of interest wanes.

- lily has sorted out a mixtape, of course. tis hidden away online, but i have uploaded it for all to hear. well the first 10 of you. combining her own pop with classics by such folks as squeeze, dizzee, small faces, beats international, wu-tang its a veritable feast for the ears. all in a cd-r friendly 192KBps format. excellent. catch her first mixtape : here

 

there is a strong chance that by the end of the month i will be totally fed up with lily allen, but until then ..

mark e

ireallylovemusic

 

 

 

: $tateside - news and grooves : the black dog - new ep details :

folks.

hope you enjoyed the bank holiday.

i would like to think that i used the time wisely - i updated the $tateside section with reviews for the chunk-o-funk that is the harlem river driver reissue that comes out may 22nd,along with a couple of worthy compilations. so, check the details online : here

oh, and in case you weren't aware, $tateside now have a proper website : here

tis a mighty good thing to see, especially as there is a fascinating rundown on the history of this fine label, as well as lots of lovely artwork to marvel at.

also, to keep things up-to-date and relevant, i also posted reviews for the new fink album, the new get lost mix on crosstown rebels label, and even a duran duran related compilation, in which 2 of the shoulder padded funkers choose their faves of the post punk era.

in other news : the black dog are to release a 3 track ep on soma records called 'riphead ep', and the love is mighty for those of us that have rediscovered the love for classic ambient-techno moods as the textures as as deep and fat as ever.

a proper review will appear of course, but just a heads up for this excellent record.

here's the track listing : ripheadv2, gawble vianag, mental ward sleep machine.

time to move on up.

mark e

ireallylovemusic