So Hurty

Got a rough hangover so let's keep this brief. Firstly, we're doing a Death Strobe party at Bondi Social this Sunday which will be heeeepzz of fun. Free drinks and stuff - you can't say no. Please do come along and say g'day! Check out the flyer.

This Black Cow 7" was a tricky one to track down but I'm super stoked I finally got my hands on it. Simply incredible funky vintage jam with an awesome acid line and floaty party vox. Hum Records still have one copy in stock, aside from that I haven't found any other stores that haven't sold out.. Discogs time! This is so essential.

Black Cow - PMMF [buy]

Joystick Jay sent this fantastic edit of a Fela Kuti track which, it seems, he's done quite a bit of work on. It's soulful African tribal deeply grooving goodness, really stunning stuff. Loving it Jay!

Fela Kuti - No Possible (Joystick Jay's Vulgar Distractions Edit)

I only just found out about Prins Thomas's 2005 edits album Major Swellings last week thanks to the Slow Blow guys. Lucky break. Coincidently(?) this is an edit of Slow Blow by Hot R.S. and it's super rad slow burning disco funk. If you've missed this album too go sort it out ASAP!

Major Swellings - Swingende Bjeller [buy]

Back to bed zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Speakeasy

This Einfach bootleg is so fantastic. Found this through watching Rub 'N' Tug youtube vids, nearly fell off my chair when the Riders On The Storm melody came in. So basically this is a very simple, deep housey, slightly jackin Doors booty which must be seriously devastating in a club. There don't seem to be many copies of this record left, I got mine from Phonica and they still seem to have some in stock so I highly recommend doing the same!

Unknown Artist - Mister Speaker [buy]

The latest Mindless Boogie release by Lovelock (aka Gianni Rossi aka Steeve Moore) has this really nice edit that both grooves really deeply and soars high with uplifting major chords and glittery instrumentation. Much like the other Lovelock stuff I've heard, it's brimming with positivity. By the final section you're just about prepped for the cheesy and overly triumphant 'yesss we did it!!' kinda ending. Oldfield & Moore is a great combo.

Lovelock - Totally Tubular [buy]

Chilly are way way way too good. 32 years on and their debut record only continues to age better. Best thing the Germans ever did :)

Chilly - Dance With Me [buy]

Another Super Value Edits by LTJ who also did #7. And another success. The loops are like standing waves, never tiring out or losing energy, just perfect cycles. This track on the B side is a great balance of old vocal+string disco and laid back funk. The Super Value crew certainly do what they do well.

LTJ - Untitled [buy]

Have a fab weekend my friends! Oh and can someone please give me a sweet music job? Thanks :)

This Girl Is Really Cute, Hey?

This new twelve from The Heels Of Love is a real corker. Coming straight off the back of their great release on Under The Shade, this bad boy comes equipped with remixes from Fabrizio Mammarella and Ajello which are both ace. It's really dancey dance, lots of well matched synths, carefully layered percussion, and it's very thoughtfully structured. A very fine record indeed!

The Heels Of Love - Quiet Please [buy]

I can find very little info about Eddie Tour which is annoying because I really dig his Bustin' Out EP released on his own label East End. This edit in particular is super groovy - it reminds me of a tranquillised version of Deputy of Love, having been dropped in tempo and urgency, allowing some sparse guitars and keys to come out and play. The original by The Destroyers is great too, of course. Very solid stuff!

Eddie Tour - Lectric Love [buy]

I've been listening to a whole bunch of young Brisbane talent Charlie Why's tunes for months now and I can offer no good reason for why I haven't shared some of them. I Am Deliciously Wired is huge. Colossal. Gargantuan. Twisted and dark and thoroughly groovy. Charlie's drum programming is truly expert; the deep tribal infusion appeals on a very instinctive, involuntary level. He'll be huge and it will be well deserved. Note: Turns out this is being released on Bang Gang 12s soon - nice one Charlie!

Charlie Why - I Am Deliciously Wired

A friend sent me this Nicolas Jaar tune a few weeks ago and I just love it. There's something extremely intoxicating about the droopy, drowsy vocals which creates an instant addiction. I, for one, am hooked.

Nicolas Jaar - A Time For Us [buy]

Haha did you know 'unpremeditated' is a word? English is so strange/shit. Hey remember if you're an unsigned bohemian cat looking for a record label to take control of your life and crush your creative spirit, we're still taking submissions - hit up info(at)deathstrobe.com

ATTENTION: THIS IS RIDICULOUS

EMERGENCY POST. This song is so fucking excruciatingly good I think I'm about to go into cardiac arrest - must share before calling an ambulance. This godlike Italian duo Elegante Orchestra released this single/EP back in November last year, I really had no idea such fantastic live big band disco was still being made, at least on this scale. This song has got it all: huge jazz horn hits, impossibly funky bass, dense webs of percussion, structure and arrangement that are to die for, and a whole lot of soul with an Arabian nights twist. I don't know how many people they've got playing in their band but only the two dudes, Marco Battistini and Marco Pretolani, are cited anywhere... I can offer no explanation for how it can be so good. February Fools Day? Dunno. Only posting a 160 of this, everybody must go buy several copies of this. I wouldn't feel comfortable without at least 4 backup CDs. The 'Original Version' is, as you would expect, just a cut down edition with some minor differences here and there but the DZ remix makes some far more significant changes, letting the percussion run absolutely fucking rampant, turning Prometeus into a tribal jazz explosion. ESSENTIAL. VITAL. CRUCIAL. DOOOOO ITTTTTT.

Elegante Orchestra - Prometeus (Extended Version)

Buy this shit NOW:
[iTunes] [Juno] [Juno Download] [TAMTAMSTUDIO]

Hospital time, ciao.

Blow By Blow

Sorry folkies, been a bit sick this past week and severely lacking motivation. Going to blast through this so at least everyone gets some music. This Phil Collins edit/remix/bootleg by Osunlade from 2007 is just perfect. He adds a gentle tribal feel with some lovely earthy drums and percussive synths whilst really drawing out the vocals with lofty pads and distant guitar. Fantastic instrumental section just past half way! Sorry for the crappy rip, my copy always skips so this is the best I could find.

Osunlade - In The Air Tonight (Yoruba Soul Vox)

This 12" by Stromba, 'Giddy Up', is just nice and simple and cool and hip and stuff. To my ear it's got a little bit of a DFA vibe going on with the disco rock drums and the pushy presence of the bass. Not much to say about this, just a very solid record.

Stromba - Giddy Down

I've been listening to this Golden Tiger Tales compilation a lot in the past week, put together by Paradise Lost crew member Mikey Miutante. It's full of local tunes, generally a bit more in the downtempo department, showcasing a wide variety of lush and alluring sounds coming out of the cracks of Sydney. They've printed 99 lovely looking CDs which will be snapped up quick so if you dig this stuff I recommend hitting up their Bandcamp page. Very interesting release.

Out in the Sticks - Dog Got My Wah Wah [buy]

I have to announce my piss-pants excitement about Harvey travelling to Australia in May - and not only that, Garth is coming with him AND they'll be playing a Picnic show in Sydney. Life can't get much better than this, what a boner sensation! Here are some Harvey essentials for anyone unlucky enough to not be a Harvey fanatic, including his ultimately legendary and absolutely crucial Essential Mix; one from the Black Cock archives; a dope Avalanches extension; and one of my all time favourite edits which I'm reposting just because it's so totally wonderful: Joyous. Can you tell I'm fucking stoked?

DJ Harvey - Shine On

The Avalanches - Electricity (Harvey's Nightclub Re-Edit)

Pleasure - Joyous (DJ Harvey Re-Edit)

DJ Harvey - Essential Mix, 31 May 1998

Picnic are also hosting Pete Herbert in the usual St Peters warehouse this Sunday afternoon. Get on it.

A Real Three-Hanky Crime

Sounds Superb Vol. 6: FROTH CITY. The world's most insanely over-productive duo In Flagranti are back with another new 12" after what can't be more than two months, continuing the fabulousness of their Sounds Superb edits series. The A1 track is just incredible, really twisted and messy and fiercely groovy. Some Diana Ross vocals loop around some constantly changing and charmingly clashing funky instrumental bits. Yet another essential record, no surprises here.

Sana Doris - Pseudo Wind [buy]

Little London label Light Sounds Dark, who I was stoked to hear haven't disappeared after just one record, released this rad compilation a few months ago of concise psychedelic jams, alt-disco cuts and other difficult to describe rare tunes. Sherm Sticks and Other Nasty Joints (hahaha what a great name) is a really cool exploration of some mad record collector's favourite 70s relics, the kind of stuff you'd dig out and play to show off how much cooler you are than everyone else. Includes Diabolical Man which Lovefingers edited on his RVNG of the NRDS record which is an absolute gem! This is one of my faves, a classic sounding funky rock-out mini-anthem by Orange Peel.

Orange Peel - I Got No Time [buy]

I recently discovered this great microlabel called Future Times through this great record by Beautiful Swimmers. Not the only people who seem to express through their music the romantic idea that the future can be found in the past, but they do it extremely well with a paradoxically fresh 80s aesthetic. This track for me conjures up a bit of a sunset vibe, I really dig it. I'd definitely be keeping an eye on these guys!

Beautiful Swimmers - Swimmers Groove [buy]

And finally this is a great old record on Bear Funk by a duo called Secret Stealth, a small project by Bob Sadler and James Baron. I can't say I know much about them but all three tracks on this EP are thoroughly enjoyable. The first, Stealth 1, is a simple nu disco groove that nicely balances a few very Reason sounding synths. It reminds me a bit of Mylo actually. The second track is a really pleasant lounge number whilst Stealth 3 is a bouncier piano-plonky fun starter. Really a beautifully rounded 12".

Secret Stealth - Stealth 1 [buy]

Just a reminder about Shit Robot this Saturday night at GoodGod for those of you in town, I'm so stoked for it!

Bendy Straws

Ohhhh mannnnnnn that was the best weekend. Special Disco Version destroyed it, Theo Parrish blew my mind, The Swiss gave me a massive boner, Mayer Hawthorn was all sorts of charming and both Lovefingers and Brennan Green perfectly capped off a great few days.

There is an insane amount of stuff happening in Sydney at the moment, it's all becoming too much! Next Saturday will be huge with DFA's Shit Robot playing at GoodGod! The man responsible for one of 2009's finest songs in one of Sydney's funnest clubs - stunning! I've got a double pass to dish out for the night so if you're keen to trundle along email me your name and cross your fingers. Chasm is still a real late night dark classic which has aged quite gracefully in the last couple of years. Check out the event for more deets. Wheeeee!

Shit Robot - Chasm [buy]

OK going to try not to turn this blog into a Sydney events page, I'll ease off for a bit. Just to backtrack a little, Rove Dogs' first release on his Small Time Cuts label includes this absolutely rocking edit with a fiercely funky upbeat bassline. On the party vibe scale this is dangerously high - as I'm sure some of you have picked up, I'm a bit of a sucker for wakka-wakka guitars joining forces with a beefy bass and tight percussion. Friday is almost here! This really is one of those little labels you can't afford to ignore.

Rove Dogs - Junior Park [buy]

Backtracking further now, naturally in the lead up to having my head microwaved by James and Pat I was smashing their legendary Fabriclive mix. Our Parisian friend Dimitri's edit of this Love Committee track has always been one of my favourites on this CD and, like just about every track in the mix, it's truly well worth hearing the whole thing which, beyond SDV's departure point, extends into a couple of different and equally beautiful sections. A really spectacular song!

Love Committee - Just As Long As I Got You (Disco Re-Edit by Dimitri From Paris)

And now going right back to a 7" from 1978 which was reissued last year to surprising DJ acclaim.. This warped, slightly obscure, tripped out and concise disco funk track by Hercule is something special. I was quite blown away to see how many artists charted the unofficial 12" on Juno - Ajello, Todd Terje, Faze Action, Beatfanatic and so on. It's super cheeky and twisted and overall very loveable. And the original cover is hysterical.

Hercule - Sunday Morning Fever [buy]

Will be back next week with some proper new stuff. This Saturday if you're around town in the afternoon, come to this groovy laneway gig/bloc party that Ash and I (Death Strobe ooooooohhhh) are playing nice and early at. Have (another) wonderful weekend!