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Johnatron’s Edit Wednesday #26

 

Hello friends. I have some help this week as I am busy making my apartment inhabitable for a human baby.

First up is Faux Rock’s rendition of Digitalism. You may remember him from his remix of the Toxic Avenger’s “Superheroes”. This one does not disappoint either. Your own personal rave right inside of your headphones.

MP3: “FCKING DIGITALISM (Faux Rock Remix)” - Digitalism

This next one is from a guy I know very, very little about. His name is is Martin Gowans and he posts on the Erol Alkan forum a lot. If you like that shaky disco sound, this one is for you It is his remake of Arthur Brown’s “Fire”.

(EDIT: Martin is from Inverness, Scotland and his myspace is here.)

MP3: “F.I.R.E. (Martin Gowans Reconstruction Edit)” - Arthur Brown

Enjoy these this week. Just know that by this time next week, I might have a baby girl with me.

Buy “Idealism” by Digitalism at Amazon.

Buy “The Crazy World of Arthur Brown” by Arthur Brown at Amazon.

Visit Faux Rock’s myspace here.

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Johnatron

Zippy electro beats with classic songs

I think I’m in love. Pocketknife and Cousin Cole are teaming up as “Flagrant Fowl.” They’re taking classic songs by Nico, Bruce Springsteen, Iron & Wine and others. I think what I like most about the remixes, from what I’ve heard, is that they are gentle like the originals. They just add a little more effervescence and modernity to the tracks that somehow makes them a little more tranquil. I’m really quite sad that these aren’t released yet, but a blog post on Pocketknife’s myspace says that they should be released by the end of September on vinyl and cd. I can’t wait. Here’s also a minimegamix Cousin Cole posted on his myspace;

MP3: Flagrant Fowl - Minimegamix (Mixed by Cousin Cole)

- bearbaby

NWT: Hybrid Kids

Hybrids Kids was a ‘compilation’ released on Cherry Red Records in 1979. It was supposedly a collection of songs made by a number of bands from Peabody, Kansas. However, In actuality all the songs on the album were created by British keyboardist Morgan Fisher, who was best known for his time spent in glam rock band Mott The Hoople.

“Recorded while Fisher was still in Mott, Hybrid Kids is an affectionate demolition job of pop classics”. And that it is! Fantastically experiment and almost whimsical covers of seminal pop songs. Fisher casts aside any formula or structure the original tracks were supposed to contain with wanton abandon, leaving only his musical musings intact.

I stumbled on these ‘Hybrid Kids’ tracks many a years ago and had no clue that these twelve songs were not made some angst filled teenage Kansans and I’m not sure which story is more incredible, the fallacy or truth.

MP3:  Hybrid Kids - British Standard Unit - D’ya Think I’m Sexy

MP3:  Hybrid Kids - R.W. Atom - You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling

From 1968 to 1970 Morgan Fisher played with pop band The Love Affair. Between 1972 and 1973 he formed the progressive rock band called Morgan. From 1973 to 1976 he joined Mott the Hoople, who were initially produced by David Bowie. In 1980 Fisher conceived and produced the unique Miniatures album (51 one-minute tracks by various popular bands of the time). In addition he played with Queen on their 1982 tour of Europe.

Fischer now resides in Japan and works as a keyboardist, producer, composer, film scorer, and photographer.

In 1997 ‘Hybrid Kids’ was re-released on CD and sometimes you can find a copy on Amazon, but right now there aren’t any available. But that’s okay, because you can find the original vinyl on gemm. One in Very Good condition goes for $136.00! Not bad for an album that was made on a 4 Track for 25 pounds.

 

Born Slippy, yet again

Every couple of years or so someone does a bootleg of “Born Slippy, NUXX” by Underworld.  The original, a massive anthem, was so infectious that it topped the UK charts.  This bootleg, done by DJ Joe K from Brazil, takes the original and gives it an electro-house twist. 

MP3: “Born Slippy (Joe K Remix)” - Underworld

Buy this at Juno.

Buy the Born Slippy, NUXX cd single from Amazon.

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Johnatron

Circulate

Finally, finally, finally Rex the Dog has struck again after much to long.  Now, Rex the Dog (aka Jake Williams, aka JX , early 90’s euro-dance sensation) has been picked up by the fabulous Kitsune.  His signature throwback sound never ever disappoints.  I know this has been posted elsewhere, but noone else seems to have the original up.

MP3: “Circulate” - Rex The Dog

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Johnatron

Throw your fingers out and dance!!

Holy shit it’s a band with a redhead. Yeeesss!!! I’m glad to see a redhead breaking out of the usual and UNFAIRLY type-casted nerd roles (example; Adventures in Babysitting). All hail Wisconsin from which The Glamour come from. Their songs have appeared around some blogs the past 2007, but I think they deserve to be highlighted here for their exceptional taste in zippy synth and breakbeats. It seems they’ve been touring and they recently went to LA. Their LA pics are super dope… including keg stands, disco lights and did I mention a redhead. They are comprised of Asher Gray and Richard Galling. Their music creates a quite open and ass boogie feeling. A must-check-out is their remix of Snowden’s “Between the Rent and Me.” The MP3 is not available, but you can listen to it on VIRB.com.

The Glamour - Get In To It
The Glamour - Kidz Night
Snowden - Between the Rent (The Glamour Remix)

- bearbaby

FluoKids Translation Service: Vol. 3

There are some real gems in this past Monday’s Fluo-as-translated-by-a-robot.

The post is called “They Is Always The Same Gestures.” Oh, is they?

pic : rita vogt

“I révé too much of the scénari of horror where the headstocks take life, I always wondered what that would have been the monstrous one if one had put a little artificial intelligence Warp in cranium of the TLC. Mondkopf tries the blow and the headstocks of ice become the true comforting sisters of which they gave each other the air.”

Mondkopf - Bath of the Morning

“Disco music tuning which makes tunes, a post scifi in automatic mode for post-human pieces, here one has fun the fun fair under the artificial lights, one goes back from there then under an artificial light, I comfort itself of tone smile of artificière, cheeks pink, gray sweater matched with the carpet, laser green and red boots, patent.”

Vitalic - Anatoles (live)

“With far Rex the dog bark credits disco music désincarné to the extreme, anthem of the world cup of Rugby galactic 2078, cyborgs with the oiled drill plates warm up in slide. If as me you saw Miami Vice in VF you remember inevitably this scene where the truant known as one “I adore the discotheque”, I adhere while thinking of all these pretty girls, surface but generous, who return the light while turning to small steps around their bag to hand.”

Rex the dog - Circulate jbag radio edit

“I neither homosexual nor am bodybuildé, and yet the disco music haunts me like Kraeger the house music. I am not only, it does not have there that to listen to the last mix of Booka Shade, Ewan Pearson, Château Flight which begin their Body Language with the Distant Message of Bogdan Irkük that I posted here a few weeks ago. Our weekends overflow and Mondays have paces of 7eme day, to accompany the slow exit by my cryogenic box ultimate credits disco music, this Homage II which could make me cry lakes over wild planet.”

Roland Sebastian Faber - Homage II on the myspace of Paddle records

I don’t know about you but my favorite line is probably “I neither homosexual nor am bodybuildé, and yet the disco music haunts me.” Methinks the lady doth protest too much, n’est-ce pas?

I kid! I kid because I love.

And thus concludes this edition of:

xx,
Baron von Luxxury

Johnatron’s Edit Wednesday #25

These might not live up to the Cousin Cole edit, but maybe they do. You decide.

MP3: “Crank Dat Push It (Johnatron Edit)” - Soulja Boy, Salt, and Pepa

MP3:”Crank Dat + The Cat (Johnatron Edit)” - Soulja Boy and Dusty Kid

Buy souljaboytellem.com at Amazon.

Buy “The Cat” by Dusty Kid at Beatport.

Buy “Hot, Cool & Vicious” by Salt and Pepa at Amazon.

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Johnatron

New Wave Tuesday: Propaganda

Hi, I’m Baron von Luxxury. I’m gonna be like Joan Rivers to Disaster’s Johnny Carson and do the “New Wave Tuesday” column every other week, which will be syndicated on The Workout, MissingToof and BigStereo. Try all three!

Dusseldorf’s Propaganda is probably my favorite band from the 80’s. Sounding a bit like a Nico-fronted Kraftwerk in an Autobahn collision with ABBA, they created a nearly perfect blend of synthpop, disco and sturm und drang. Their dark, robotic songs were given a larger than life sheen thanks to the lush, wittily bombastic production of dark pop master Trevor Horn.

Propaganda hit the UK top 40 with their first single “Dr. Mabuse” in early 1984, but it took another year to follow up with their debut album, 1985’s “A Secret Wish.” While at times seemingly Fairlighted within an inch of its life by Horn and his crack team of session musicians (including Japan’s David Sylvian, Heaven 17’s Glenn Gregory, and Steve Howe from Yes), the songs were terrific, the drama heavy, and oh the German-ness! So much German-ness! Singer Claudia Brucken was Teutonically hot and her vocals were hauntingly beautiful. And the videos? A classic mid-80s stew of WTF and OMFG.

“Secret Wish” was the only album Propaganda made with their original lineup, though there were a slew of remixes and a handful of followups with various replacement musicians. What happened? Depends on who you ask, of course, but it seems like the fact that Brucken was shtupping the label head didn’t go over too well with her band mates. But given the dramatic music they made, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

The first song, “Frozen Faces”, is my absolute fave Propaganda track. The synths that come in at 1:58 always gives me chills. There’s a 10 minute re-edit called “Echo of Frozen Faces” on the album Outside World (available on Amazon) which is truly sublime, it even has a killer eat-yr-heart-out-Oizo sax break!

MP3:”Frozen Faces” - Propaganda

“P-Machinery” is another gem of a song, and this megamix is nine minutes and 33 seconds of somber, pompous slow disco. There’s even a freakout guitar solo in the middle - someone needs to bring back wankin’ geetars back to the dance floor!

MP3:”P-Machinery (Beta Mix)” - Propaganda

And appropriately enough given the Nico-ness of it all, Propaganda’s Velvet Underground cover is pretty awesome too.

MP3: “Femme Fatale” - Propaganda

Propaganda ’space (fan site)

Buy Propaganda albums at Amazon.com

Propaganda are highly recommended for fans of Depeche Mode, Heaven 17, Yaz and Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

xx + ttfn,
Baron von Luxxury