soft touches of love

The beard must explore, it's like a rule... and beards know Folk bins yield forth many a great gift. By the way the old english word 'asgift' meant 'payment for the wife', in Dutch the word came to mean 'Poison' (gif). Thus should you need an excuse to get over to the local car boot sale to check out some possible Folk gems, you might try telling the trouble and strife 'your poison is payment for the wife', if she needs further explainin', tell her 'with you in a good mood, she might just get you to finish that half forgotten walk in shoe cupboard she always wanted'... or play her C.O.B.'s 'Soft Touches Of Love' instead, a track you're not likely to find up the park on any sunday soon, unless you're very lucky! Apparently this LP changes hands for notes with big numbers on them, it's a real grower with very olde english imagery and almost melodies with ernest voices and rich and beautiful tones throughout ....

C.O.B. - Soft Touches Of Love

flesh failures

Ok, so not exactly obscure, but just lately I cant get enough of listening to this incredible track. It also popped up on Kelvin Brown's latest mix which kind of cemented the idea that while Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & Trinity's brilliant 'Flesh Failures' is a bit specialist, it's groove is also unstoppable. Beard bizness on a Tuesday night...

Julie Driscoll & Brian Auger & Trinity - Flesh Failures (Let The Sunshine In)

Rune reprise

Just a quick heads up about the freebie download of Rune Lindbaeks 'Fotspor', off his latest for Discofil Desperados EP, which is currently doing the rounds thanks to the label. I wrote about it recently in case you need more info (check here). Otherwise grab the track here or the full vinyl EP here (available from the 28th of Feb). Actually the whole EP is essential.

Alpha Beta Gamma

While the post about Brain Machine's 'lost' album is still fresh in yer minds, it's essential that you hear their latest (and only other) release (as far as I know), 'Alpha Beta Gamma' on Space Wave label Titan's Halo Records. The press notes describe the original track as a hybrid of 'Kraut, Ambient, Moroder 80's Cosmic Disco and Goblin influenced Psyche', ok I'm paraphrasing, but you get the picture and besides I couldn't have described it better myself. It's an amazing record which suggests, as their album for This Is Not An Exit does, that Brain Machine have deep wells of talent and deeper sinkholes into the history of underground sounds. The EP comes with two excellent remixes from Johan Agebjorn and Von Spar, but the real treat is the original. Do yourself a favour and check out Titan's Halo's other releases on their soundcloud page too (do it!). 'Alpha Beta Gamma' is a bonafide future classic...

Brain Machine - Alpha Beta Gamma (Original Mix) by Titan's Halo Records

jaz #3

Here's the last of the current JAZ goodies for you. I love this track so much, I had hoped to get it out on a compilation at one point (an idea which has transformed somewhat). Crazy, psyched out Space Disco with jazzy, Star Wars 'canteen' scene sections, lots of rolling bass, aliens on helium and a breezy, jangling guitar bridge. I want to say thanks very much John, for stopping by and sharing some of your selections. One of these days I'll have to do a follow up interview with you, I have much to ask (if readers have questions for the man, leave them in the comments section). Dont forget to grab the Mesalina release when it hits!...

Jaz - Encounters

all tied up

Tokyo based label Jansen Jardin are putting out amazing records, records that revitalize feelings of faith in the wonders of House music. Last year's blissed out Yuki Suzuki 12" (especially the Lee Douglas remix) was amongst my favourite releases in any genre, in any year; 'Need Your Love' is the sort of track that sounds like a mega classic from back in the day, in spite of it's being totally original and brand new (then). Minus Yogi's 'All Tied Up' has the same effect only it's a masterclass in Deep House; penned by Essa, Kimo Kawabe and Motoyoshi Shimazake, this beauty is simultaneously tracky, underground, deep and large. The flip side comes with a remix from the very talented Juju & Jordash who do a typically fine job of opening up new dimensions on the original; their 'Gospel Mix' is a dizzying, cult of koolaid, synthy, Sunday sermon in leftfieldness. Hit the A side for Kerry Chandler styled magic not made by Kerry Chandler..

Minus Yogis - All Tied Up (inc Juju & Jordash remix) by Jansen Jardin

Brown

Amongst those always worth checking out for mixes is one Kelvin Brown of Manchester. But you know this right? Kelvin recently crafted one of his epic travelogue journeys through superb sounds from around the planet for Oi Polloi clothing store, also of Manchester. Masterful, adventurous, educational, seriously groovy! Epic! Special! Kelvin's a consummate digger, his Monday Mixtape 'Internal Empires' is more than proof, if you needed any! Follow the SoundCloud link for a track list....

The Monday Mixtape #10 'Internal Empires' by Kelvin Brown by oipolloi

boys

Montauk are back with an ep called 'Boys'. 'Kenny', 'Ned' & 'Phil' are the boys names. Each boy is kinda edited, kinda remixed, certainly they've been Montauked, which if you don't already know, means being polished to within an inch of their lives. Sounds a wee bit kinky but of course there's more to it than that; 'Kenny' is a rework of a Kenny Loggins track, 'Ned' is Doheny's 'Get It Up For Love' re-tweaked, dubbed and scrubbed & 'Phil' continues what the Idjut Boys started on Mr Collins' back catalogue a little while ago (don't ask me which track cos i really don't know the man's tunes). There's a science to what Montauk do, a chemistry even; sonically these Swedes get inside the original tracks, practically remastering the sound, the bass lines are thicker, the beats chewier, the separation is more spacey, maybe its just really slick compression. The Doheny track in it's original form (huge), likewise the Tata Vega version (massive), have already gotten busloads of attention and while Montauk's take is pretty mighty (very mighty), I'll probably land up playing their 'Kenny' more than their 'Phil' or their 'Ned'. Take your pic, they're all sexy, slo mo and definitely packin' heat... (pay money for these bad boys here)

Montauk - Kenny 

heaven 8

There must be any number of reasons why an album like Brain Machine's eponymous debut on This Is Not An Exit slips through the cracks, or goes largely unnoticed. None of them to do with the records beauty and brilliance. Granted it's not a commercial record and really, there are no tracks that could be 'singled' out for easy consumption (apparently these days single tracks have far greater power than albums do). 'Brain Machine' is, however, the concept synth album you're searching for in all those crates and while it's no antique, it satisfies all the key markers in the hunt for album's from say Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra, Eno, Droids, Peru, or even Moroder's own 'Einzelganger' etc with some beats (on the last two tracks) via The Orb maybe. Shimmering analogue keyboards, found sounds and well crafted spacial compositions all contribute to the records meticulous atmospherics, but this isn't a chill out album; 'Brain Machine' is weighty (think Kraftwerk, Psychic TV), it has dark edges and it's also deeply moving. It sounds as if it could have been made in the mid to late 70's, at a time when keyboard wizards pioneered deep space travel via electronic tunnels of sound. Only the beats toward the end of the record betray this illusion, while at the same time highlighting the formidable talents of Brain Machine's members; sides c & d on the second vinyl will fit very nicely into any left of leftfield Disco set. 

I happen to know for sure that there are a few copies of this future classic (read as 'why is everyone talking about this album suddenly?' and 'damn I should have bought it back when it cost so little') from 2008 over at This Is Not An Exit's online store. I recommend picking up the double 12" vinyl pack; the sound is beautiful, the artwork is superb and the music contained within is timeless... After '7th Heaven' comes 'Heaven 8'...

Brain Machine - Heaven 8 (limited download)

rush back!!

Sleazy Beats are already onto their 6th release, thier newest ep will find it's way into stores pretty damn shortly. So arm yourselves with cash and be sure to grab 'em fast as Sleazy releases never hang about, except of course in the charts of discerning Slo Mo dj's and producers. SBR006 is a 3 track ep called 'The Night He Came Home' and it's from Oz upstarts The Francis Inferno Orchestra (Wolf Recordings, Under The Shade, Dikso), it includes at least one of the smoothest, deepest, and loveliest mid tempo, Housed up edits of the last few years. Yes, 'Rush Back' is a super fine, 80's, summer bump 'n grind which surely outdoes most of what's available in this end of the market right now. The thing about Slo Mo House/Edits is it's a style and sound which I believe should be much bigger here in SA, what with our defining mid tempo or 'Slow Jams' scene from some 15 or more years ago; slowed down club tracks were the lifeblood of early warehouse parties in Soweto and around the country for many years. It was, for me, a very exciting time in music. Sadly Slow Jams are not very big here anymore, but with the right plugging I reckon it could be again, especially with massive gems like the ones available on this ep.

There are of course two other tracks on the ep, both of which are really very good; FIO's rework of the evergreen 'Sunshine Love' is very nice and while there have been quiet a number of re-shuffles of the original already, theirs does add a lil' new magic to the proceedings. The thing is, how does one ever move on from playing 'Rush Back'? Given the choice of picking up the 12" and adding a track from it into a live set, you're going to have to choose 'Rush Back' every time, for it's fresh keys, for it's joyous vocals and for it's super infectious shuffling groove. Sublime!!

Rush Back [SBR006] by Francis Inferno Orchestra

jaz #2

Those of you who were lucky enough to grab the Jaz edit from a few posts back, before I took it down, will surely be delighted to know that the track, along with 4 others by the man, have been picked up by Luca Capri and his Messalina label. Until recently, the label was strictly designed around Luca's own edits. Last year, however, he also put out a very nice set of reworks from Lexx. Keep you eyes peeled for the up coming Jaz release, which I know will be an excellent addition to the label's growing catalogue.

The other good news is John has send through an unreleased item to replace the removed file and it is very special, very special indeed... Oh by the way he also recently put a recording of his opening set for Washed Out at Peaches Pop Up Restaurant in his home town Charleston up on Soundcloud, it's definitely worth checking out, do so here.

Jaz - Who Dares