Yowsa, yowsa, yowsa. It's the October 2014
hypothetical mixtape.
"Mkwaju", by Mkwaju Ensemble. I
was attracted to this because of its affinity with other mid-80s flights of ethomusicology, such as the "Snake Charmer" EP. But then I discovered
that this song establishes that there is one degree of separation between
Yellow Magic Orchestra and Studio Ghibli. No, really. Joe Hisaishi, whose
project this largely is, has composed
the soundtracks for many of Hayao Miyazaki's films. Hideki Matsutake,
who did the keyboard programming, wasn't a member of YMO officially but did so
much of the programming for them that he probably should have been. Bonus: it
also kicks like Steve Reich in full flight.
(Available here. The link is still good at time of
writing.)
"I Pity The Country", by Willie
Dunn. Here is a, for want of a better term, country-folk song, excavated by the
estimable Light In The Attic, that tells it like it was in the seventies for indigenous
North Americans (in his case, Canadians) and, sadly, like it still is, and will
likely ever be.
"Ali Baba", by John Holt. The
first reggae reissue I bought on CD was "King Tubby Special", two discs of some of the best of King
Tubby's studio concoctions. One of the many standout tracks was called "I
Trim The Barber". Twenty-five years later, I finally, finally, stumble
across the original song from which this riddim (amongst many others) sprang forth. It still sounds fresh as a
daisy.
"Voyager Without Passport", by
Friedemann. Do you remember Fischer Z? Do you remember Propaganda? Do you
remember the sound of the guitar on David Sylvian's first couple of solo
albums? It's all here, improbably. Maybe with a pinch of Grace Jones added.
(Bonus: album cover of the month.)
"Everyday Just Another Dream", by
Naffi. This song certainly doesn't outstay its welcome. Songs like this one
were the reason the post-punk (anti)movement was so important in pushing music
forward. You couldn't have imagined a song like this existing on record in the
mid-seventies. Of the many doors that punk blew down was the one leading to
bands like Marine Girls and, through them, the indelible Weekend. (Also, for good measure,
... And The Native Hipsters, and Life Without Buildings.) That's the door that
these folk also snuck through, if only briefly.
"Los Ninos Del Parque", by
Liaisons Dangereuse. If I had heard this before I ever heard and fell in love
with DAF's "Der Mussolini", would it be this song that lives in my notional Festive Fifty? That, being a counterfactual, is
impossible to answer. But one thing I do know: I'm a complete sucker for that
early-80s arpeggiated synth-driven rhythm bed.
"En Hast Utan Namn", by Family
Four. Swedish pop group. Two males. Two females. Represented their country
twice at Eurovision in the early seventies. That's right: Family Four. What's
that? You were expecting, maybe, somebody else?
"Im Achtzigsten Stockwerk", by
Hildegard Knef. Backing vocals by Die Rosy Singers. (You could easily put a
comma in there. Just sayin'.)
"Nothing Serious (Just Buggin')",
by Whistle. AKA We've Got A First-Generation Sampler And We're Gonna Use It. I
wouldn't want to listen to this every day for the rest of my life but it's
hella fun before the novelty wears off.
"How You Got That Girl", by
Ex Hex. Power pop lives! Here they are playing it live, just like nature
intended.
"Last Ride", by Wildest Dreams.
You may think this is authentic southern fried boogie. I'm happy for you to
think that, but you would actually be wrong. Wildest Dreams is none other than
DJ Harvey. He did something similar a few years back as one half of Map Of
Africa, so it must be some kind of a thing with him. (Coincidence corner: DJ
Harvey has also remixed a song by Logic System, Logic System being none other
than Hideki Matsutake, see above.) (And yes, it's a long track, but stick
around for the wicked three-minute coda.)
"Why Didn't You Save Me (Dave
Harrington Remix feat Tamara)", by Nicolas Jaar. Let's revisit, for a
moment, my crackpot theory that your favourite artist remixed is never going
to grab you as much as your favourite artist remixing some other artist. This
is, on the face of it, an example of the former, but with a twist: the remixer
in this case is the other member of your favourite artist's short-lived band,
Darkside. Let's call it a draw.
"Our Love (The Juan Maclean
Remix)", by Sharon Van Etten. Whereas this lands firmly in the latter
category. It sits comfortably alongside the remarkable Ewan Pearson remix of Cortney Tidwell's
"Don't Let The Stars Keep Us Tangled Up". (That's high praise, in case you
were wondering.)
"Faux (Four Tet Remix)", by John
Beltran. As to John Beltran, I know nothing. But this remix is classic Four
Tet. Although it is also calling to mind something else: Chateau Flight maybe? (Incidentally, the new Four Tet
album is needed in your life. Trust me.)
"On", by Aphex Twin. I have been
on a vertiginous Aphex Twin learning curve over the last 12
months. It's like a dam burst, a dam that I didn't realise had been built, let
alone was filling to dangerous levels. It all started some years ago, when I
found "Selected Ambient Works Volume II" second-hand and took it home
on spec, listened a few times, and put it aside. Much later, I picked up a copy of the 33 1/3 book about same.
Of course, last year, as you know, interest in Aphex took off with the release
of "Syro". That seems to have been the spark that I needed. (The Wire named it album of the year.) Meanwhile the
internet was sending me off down sundry rabbit holes, one of which led to the discovery of this song. "On" came out as a 12" shortly before the release of
"SAWII". That might, I suppose, be why I am partial to it. The heck if I know. I'm stuck down a rabbit hole. (The link is
to a somewhat shortened version of the track, but it gives you the
idea.)
"Natural Lifespan (Prins Thomas
Mix)", by Cos/Mes. As with the Four Tet, the original of this, if it even
exists, means nothing to me. We are here for the blissed-out Scandinavian funk
moves. (In saying this we mean no disrespect.)
