Five tracks vol. 6: oddballs

Had a couple of stranger bits I felt like sharing this week and I figured I'd dump all the outsider weirdos into one place. I love strange records by unusual people who have completely their own sound and vision, and they usually come with really interesting stories attached. Anyways, here are a few of those things. 

Ronald Langestraat - I'm Ready For Dancing



I really quite adore the first Ronald Langestraat album that South Of North unearthed and reissued a few years back. Supposedly the Amsterdammer was getting weary of the "high brow" jazz scene in the early '80s and did the LPs as a bit of a personal space jazz project, playing every instrument and self-recording in his living room. This track is one of my faves from the record - it's a little jazz, a little leftfield disco, a little weirdo lounge, wrapped up in an endearingly primitive package.


Vito Ricci - I'm At That Party Right Now



Dunno how I ended up uncovering this one but it vividly transports me back to the first time I went to London in 2015 or something and it was on heavy rotation at the RA office. It's from a Music From Memory retrospective of New York weirdo Vito Ricci's mid-80s releases, and it's somehow completely mesmerising to me. It's astonishingly lo-fi outsider boogie that's addictively groovy in a way that doesn't quite make sense to me.


Tonetta - A Really Big Cock



Of all places I heard this played on FBi Radio while I was driving and it floored me, quickly sending me into a years-long fascination with the now-73-year-old Canadian sex-freak enigma that is Tonetta. There's just too much to begin to explain, but if you haven't gone down the Tonetta rabbit hole, I can't recommend it enough. In any case, this is a song about his big dick that happens to be deviantly funky and remains one of my favourites.


Human Egg - Feeling On My Mind



This is not a weird song but, as a whole package, the self-titled 1978 Human Egg album is remarkably diverse and downright WEIRD. I picked up the reissue on Favorite in 2010 after hearing this chunky low-tempo strutter and was quite bamboozled. There's other funky stuff like this, including the uptempo jazz workout 'Love Like This' that flicks between space disco and Head Hunters-grade fusion, and then there's some totally off the wall shit like 'Onomatopoeia'. But all in all, a very special record.


Osamu Shoji - Airport in South Islands (Waffles Edit)



Ok this is totally splitting from the formula because it's a reworking that hardly resembles the original, but my blog my rules. Osamu Shoji's 1979 cosmic synth album Night Flight is a real oddball beauty. This edit on the anonymous Waffles label, which I wouldn't make any connection to the original if it wasn't listed on the Discogs page, is squelchy, low-tempo electronic funk that's sure to impress anyone you play it for.

Back with regular programming next week 🫡

Bye Johnny, You're My Favourite Customer

When this Maxxi & Zeus release on International Feel came out last year and copped lotsa love from big names I don't think I gave it enough of a listen. Or I must have been in some kind of fucked up alternate plane of reality because I was a bit dismissive of it. Thankfully I've come to my senses and rediscovered it recently and I'm loving it the way any sane person should. The A-side is so beautiful but it's the B that really extends my rod. Medleys are usually shit at best but this little collection of 70s disco gems with a bit of dirty talk spliced in is phenomenally groovy. It's fun and funky yet there's a bit of a dark and twisted attitude going on. Superbo.

Maxxi & Zeus - MZ Medley [buy]

Been holding this Onur Engin edit back for a while, he's quickly become one of the handful of editors you can always trust to put out a quality record. Love Me Love Me Now is a super nice serenading groove that works just as nice in the club as it does on the rooftop. The B is just as soothing and gentle, taking it down a few hundred bpm with some serious slow-burn action: scatter some rose petals on the bed, light a few scented candles and start video taping. The whole record aches of smooth. Too easy!

Onur Engin - Love Me Love Me Now [buy]

Can't stop listening to this Human Egg album and can't stop debating whether it's a creative and original work or a brilliant imitation of sounds coming out of the US and UK in the 70s. Just about every track sounds like there's a specific inspiration that's been drawn, whether it's Bowie, Hancock or whoever. Very interesting. Anyway when the tracks are good they're great! Love this one in particular - tell me who comes to mind when you listen to it.

Human Egg - You Keep Me Warm My Lady [buy]

This Sat'dy head down to GoodGod for Slow Blow where our good buddies Softwar are launching their EP. COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL HEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY. And then Sunday on the rooftop with spesh guests Cosmonaut. Cya then!

Frames (aka This Avocado)

Got some real tasty exotic morsels for this sesh that I've been looking forward to sharing for a while. First up is a cut from the freshly released Soft Rocks album sampler which is just super duper. Warning: this is only on the sampler, not the album, which is also super duper. I haven't heard a great deal more snare drum grooves hipper than this one, it absolutely pops my head off, and it just gets better in the percussion break mid-way through the track. Yeah the brief sections of vox and synth are cool but it's when shit gets tribal that this tune really shines. Brilliant!

Soft Rocks - Ah Zhaa! [buy]

Skipping over to the Middle East we get this ripping KM Editions record with wonderful Arabic flavours, again a bit left of centre. After the long mish-mash of sounds and voices to get you acclimatised you're treated to a meaty dish well worthy of a wobble in your burqa. Things travel nice and slow towards a rich groove with some horns and cosmic synths thrown in for good measure. I really love the vibe of this whole record, I hope more people in the editing world will be digging into more exotic record crates.

KM Editions - Discotheque Arabe

Another beauty here by The Natural Yogurt Band which employs the wonderful warming sound of a kalimba, totally the coolest instrument ever. Fantastic plonky keys, some saturated drums sitting over in the corner, beautiful dry flute crooning away, this song really does just sound so natural (yogurt). I feel like every time I listen to it a tree is saved somewhere. Love it.

The Natural Yogurt Band - Eastern Promise [buy]

Heading up to old Europa now - France in fact - for a tune that sounds decidedly American. Totally incredible funky number from a totally incredible and often properly weird album by 70s mystery group Human Egg. I can't really work out how the music on this record fits together but it's heaps of fun and pure quality if you dig things that are a bit unexpected. Just be careful of the power ballads.

Human Egg - Feeling On My Mind [buy]

Hope you enjoy this little excursion. I'm working on a summer tribute Delishcast which I'll probs post next week - promise it will be amazing!