Lock up Your Daughters

[l-to-r: Billy Cobham, John McLaughlin, Jan Hammer, Rick Laird, Jerry Goodman]

Birds of Fire
The Mahavishnu Orchestra
Birds of Fire
CBS : 1973
[Listen] [Buy]

Noonward Race
The Mahavishnu Orchestra
The Inner Mounting Flame
Columbia : 1971
[Listen] [Buy]

Meeting of the Spirits
The Mahavishnu Orchestra
The Inner Mounting Flame
Columbia : 1971
[Listen] [Buy]

Dawn
The Mahavishnu Orchestra
The Inner Mounting Flame
Columbia : 1971
[Listen] [Buy]

Dream [recorded June 25-29, 1973]
Mahavishnu Orchestra
The Lost Trident Sessions
Columbia : 1999
[Listen] [Buy]

John McLaughlin plays guitar like no other. Sure, you can have a soft spot for Hendrix or J. Beck or Clapton or Trucks or Scofield or Santana or someone else, but McLaughlin is the end of the line. This soft-spoken, English-born [born in the same Yorkshire town of Doncaster as my parents], Hindu-convert guitarist is the master of his domain, and I can only sit and listen with awe at his licks. They’re an acquired taste, a slow burn for those who like the more immediate payoff of the perfect, melodically-concise 4-bar blues fill or the balls and panache of heavy metal riffs [the fret dancers], but well worth the wait.

Unfolding over the course of long compositions, his main guitar verse lines are intricate enough, but considering the evolution of these tracks into jazz-fusion chaos, whereby he’ll assault his 12-string axe with unbridled enthusiasm, extracting as many notes as possible out of the frenzied speed of his playing. Sixteenths are mere child’s play, especially when his drummer and rhythmic equal, Billy Cobham [surely in my top 3 drummers all-time], is pounding out an equally-schizophrenic progression on his kit.

The whole band were a collection of freaks, men with rubber joints who could withstand the eclectic pace of the Mahavishnu sound. Gliding and sliding through intricate heads and patterns, skipping across several challenging, unorthodox time signatures within the same song, the group played at a frantic level in every each of their 3 incarnations.

My personal favourite was the original lineup, a truly diverse outfit: McLaughlin [England] on guitars, Cobham [Panama] on drums, Jerry Goodman [USA] on violin, Rick Laird [Ireland] on bass, and Jan Hammer [Czech Republic] on keyboards. Their music, although perhaps somewhat dated nowadays due to that unmistakable synth sound [not to mention the whole spacy jazz-rock fusion orientation, in my opinion one that peaked out in the 70s – more on that in a future post, I reckon], was complex and challenging, and although perhaps harder to listen to than most other genres [one of the major criticisms by jazz purists], it is hard not to appreciate them for what they were.

I selected these tracks to hopefully give a good representation of them at their furthest: none of their calmer, more serene and peaceful songs make the cut, but instead, several longer, full-on chunks of sound lifted from the minds and fingers of five extremely skilled musicians. McLaughlin is the field marshal, and his compositions cull from jazz, rock, funk and Eastern rhythms.

The result is glorious.

Particular moments of “Oh my G-d, that is fucking perfect”

- [2:32] in “Dawn”
The cymbal-heavy tension finally breaks through into funkier ground at the perfect moment, and Cobham connects with Laird on a slick groove. Goodman obliges with a nasty little violin excursion from the holy vibe of the first two minutes, making you almost feel naughty for listening. The whole thing settles back down at [4:08] into its original, mournful, ethereal tone, and you wonder what just happened for the past 90 seconds. This track opens the album with intent, and this emotional moment sets the tone with force.

- [1:05] in “Birds of Fire”
John McLaughlin kicks the door down with the main head, his wailing guitar echoing loudly high above the rest of the mix, like some furious Norse god raining thunder and lightning down from Valhalla. Up to that point, the pressure had been slowly cranking higher and higher, and the payoff is enough to make you drop yr beer and jump out of yr chair. It stretches higher into the stratosphere as his solo continues, squeaking higher and higher, disappearing into the atmosphere as his bandmates struggle to match the intensity. After a couple of minutes, you might need a towel to cool off. The effect is intoxicating. This is what jazz-rock fusion is all about.

- [5:10] in "Dream"
After a gentle preamble, the band hits a hard-nosed pocket of fuzzed-out funk after several heavy reiterations of the song's head. At Cobham's command, thanks to a disgusting call-to-attention drum roll, the band reins in and provides heavy noise. McLaughlin lays down a gritty bluesy riff, undercut by Laird's bassline, and the solos begin anew. This one definitely requires a post-listen shower.

It seems only appropriate that Cobham and McLaughlin met while performing and recording with Miles Davis. As if there wasn’t enough magic in their music already.

While writing this, I decided that there will be a couple more jazz-rock fusion posts in the near-ish future. I’m not done with it yet, but today was a heavy Mahavishnu day [try riding a bike into the “forest” for a couple of hours with some of this on rotation], and there will be some more before Thanksgiving.

But, in the meantime, give these an honest shot. They may lack the perfect brevity of hip-hop beats, or the swift serenade of original soul, but they’re perfect in their own way.

John McLaughlin is the king of the guitar in my mind, but I’d be curious to know who you all value out there as the axe-master to rule all others. Let me know in the comments – there needs to be more guitar-heavy posts around here from time to time, so if I can oblige with providing some of the greats, why settle for less?

Intense Pressure in the back of the skull.

I Love You More
Rene & Angela
Wall to Wall
Capitol Records : 1981
[Listen]

Khousara Ya Gara
Abdel Halim Hafez
[Listen]

Love is Love
The Blackbyrds
Flying Start
Fantasy : 1974
[Listen] [Buy]

For Love [I Come Your Friend]
George Duke
Three Originals
Polygram Records : 1994
[Listen]

Once again, I’m skewering some soul originals that made their way into the contemporary consciousness via hip-hop. Yawn if ya want, but this is my state of mind currently, and has been for a while now. Not interested in yr beats unless they’re culled from obscure origins or dusty records lost in time. It’ll come full circle again, but listening to these reheated tracks cannot be beat. Today: dusty tidbits from some other MF Doom beats/tracks, and a couple of obvious-enough ones from the fresh-out-of-retirement vodka salesman, Jay-Z. Looking forward to you re-taking the field, Hova.

Speak up if you have special requests – it’s come to my attention that while we do sling good hash around these here parts, it’s always nice when you, the audience, has a little input. And frankly, we shouldn be doing better with this, because without you all, we would be nothing. We do have some tricks in the pipeline for the next couple of months, but we're looking for something more immediate. Requests, lost tracks, bands, record labels, certain genres – regardless of what it is, let us know and we’ll do our best. Use the comment trax here or use the ol’ shoutbox thing directly to the right. We are in the people-pleasin’ business, and if we’re not pleasin’ people, then we’re out of business. Right?

More tomorrow, and every day. We love you like that.

Tabemasuyo!

Doze Green’s fantastic work @ Carroll Gardens - Brooklyn, NY.
Please speak up if you know the artist. I've got a new favorite Artist. [Thanks for the info Scott.]

Um, Circles and Squares
Dosh
The Lost Take
Anticon : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Akero [Uppercut Mix]
Hifana [feat. Twiggy]
Hifana Presents Nampooh Cable
Sony/Columbia : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Body Heat Divide
Plus Devise
Body Heat [EP]
Hefty Records : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

3 Tracks of Eclectronic goodness...

Martin Dosh's 3rd album is quite good. I've only become aware of his work with last week's release of The Lost Take. I have yet to check out his previous two albums [Lateduster and Pure Trash] but, I'm glad to have found a new sound such as this and still have so much more of the man's work to digest. "Um, Circles and Squares" is a jazzy track with a mathematical electronic backbone that's well hidden by it's organic flow. Listen now & later.

I covered a bit of Hifana earlier this year - you can check that out here. The Japanese duo have recently released a compilation mix disc that's seriously off the wall. I've zoned in on a remix of Akero, which has been transformed from an electronic-surf-rock track to a very Hip-hop styled gem. Tabemasen ka?

Plus Devise is an interesting newcomer. It's progressive and electronic while being dark and funky, and though a little repetitive it's still pretty catchy - it's got me at least. The Hefty website claims that the duo aren't going to reveal their true identity quite yet - so the name "Plus Devise" is all we get for the time being. I guess, we should be slightly interested, but really, who cares! Just put out a full LP soon, because your beats are SOLID.

Your 3 wishes granted before you knew it.
Stay tuned. -- Silent K

Fall all over myself

India Rubber
Radiohead
High & Dry/India Rubber [single]
Capitol : 1996
[Listen] [Buy]

Forcefield
Beck
One Foot in the Grave
K Records : 1994
[Listen] [Buy]

My Old Flame
John Vanderslice
Time Travel is Lonely
Barsuk : 2001
[Listen] [Buy]

Samson
Regina Spektor
Songs
2002
[Listen] [Buy]

The Commander Thinks Aloud
The Long Winters
Future Soundtrack for America
Barsuk : 2004
[Listen] [Buy]

Kelly Watch the Stars (Edit/Video Mix)
Air
Kelly Watch the Stars [single]
EMI Int'l: 1998
[Listen] [Buy]

It’s been a long, hard week in Roy-land. I wish there were more time/energy I could devote to this, but the well’s run dry. So I’ll keep it simple.

These tracks have been ringing my autumnal ears as I prepare for the slip into winter. They’re not new, and that’s probably why they’re good for me right now. Comfort music for the soul in transition.

India Rubber – This track came from two CD’s this kid burned for me in high school. This was back when burned CD’s were a big deal. He had a list you could make requests from, then five dollars and two days later you’d get your goods. Being that we were in electronics together for an hour and a half, we had a lot of time to talk about music. This is how I found out he had a bunch of Radiohead remixes and b-sides, and how I paid ten dollars for two discs of Bends/OK Computer era miscellania.

It was worth it.

Forcefield - I listened to One Foot in the Grave an inordinate number of times in high school because:
A) I worshipped Beck
B) Pre Winamp, listening to an entire CD was the musical norm
C) I didn’t have a lot of money, so I spent a lot of time with the CD’s I did buy (which is how I became so well acquainted with the hard on the ears Stereopathetic Soulmanure)
D) It’s a really catchy disc
E) All of the above

My Old Flame – You’ll be hearing more about John Vanderslice here someday. My Old Flame is the song that got me to pay attention to him. If I had to make a list of the top ten songs I’d ever heard, this would have a place up there. Both from moving as a child and from having loved/let go, the lines Our old house / Everything’s changed / Bleached out and aired / Ikea-d and swept bare poke at bruises I’d hoped healed and had forgotten. That, and if you listen close, the guy’s holding a clinic on production.

Samson – This is the only Regina Spektor song I really know. After being hypnotized by Powaqqatsi, a friend and I sat on the couch, chatting. We needed music, and she said I needed to hear this song off this CD her friend gave her. She played the first track and we sat silent, listening.

At this point I could talk about the texture of Regina’s voice and how human it sounds, or sweetness of Samson’s story retold, or how I could see her, cutting her young lover’s hair in the bare light of a 60 watt bulb, picture every tile of the apartment. But as a song, I don’t know what to say about it, because my friend and I, we stayed up listening to it on repeat and talking into the late evening. She gave me a copy of the CD, and I’ve never listened past track 1.

The Commander Thinks Aloud - I remember after the Columbia disaster thinking how lucky those astronauts were. They all work hard and rise through the astronaut program. Succeeding, they get to go into space, to touch the heavens and float among the stars, and experience shared only with the smallest fraction of humans. They see the Earth below, the expanses beyond. They miss their loved ones, send messages back home. They perform their duties: gauges, switches, checklists, the day to day that is a mission in space. They share in the oddity together, veterans telling stories, first timers soaking it in. They prepare to come home, half sad, half excited. They watch the windows, and black turns blue turns orange as plasma gasses dance past.

A creak, a moan, and the craft begins to tumble. A half second of panic, then blackout. Watched by millions, they splay beautiful over blue southern skies. Statues erected, high schools renamed, all debts forgiven, transgressions erased.

Kelly Watch the Stars – Kelly, watch the stars.

Another day feels the same

I Am Music [prod. by J Dilla]
Common
Electric Circus
MCA Records : 2002
[Listen] [Buy]

Herculean
The Good, The Bad and The Queen
The Good, The Bad and The Queen
Parlophone : 2007
[Listen]

Circus
Jay Dee
Vintage [Unreleased Instrumentals]
Bling 47 Recordings : 2003
[Listen]

Felt the Strain Dub
Keith Hudson
Image
Pressure Sounds : 1977?
[Listen]

B.E.A.T.
Five Deez
Secret Agent Number 005 EP
Dimensia Recordings : 2000
[Listen] [Buy]

Christ. All the days seem the same. Does anyone else feel that? Wake up one morning, see the sky and swear yr still living in that thursday three weeks ago when the clouds broke funny, and you could see the sun shifting in the wispy gaps. That girl was stood behind you at the time, and she came to the door too, to perceive the same landscape. You leant against the dirty door frame, and she ran her fingers through yr hair while her head rested on yr shoulder. Her breaths sounded like passing freight trains, so close to yr ear.

There was that one summer, mind all washed-out and blue, when you believed that you were stuck living an endless cycle of wednesdays. It was Spain, it was early July, and each day you woke up in the same place, the same curled-up position, the same time of day. Always stirring to life in mid-afternoons, when the siesta heat wore off, and people were staring at you lying in the grass while drinking wine from plastic 2-liter bottles.

Your feet were wet, and all the money tucked into your socks was damp and slippery.

During San Fermin, every day was like this. Eating hocks of bread and cheese, washed down with Kalimotxo [cheap spanish red wine + american coca-cola], and then staggering down to old town, where the cobbled streets were full of revelers dressed in red and white cotton, banging drums, swilling wine and singing incoherently.

I remember those days. I spent time sleeping in the dark, musty corners of the bus station, mind clouded and head heavy, the thick smog of bus exhaust blurring my thoughts as I spooned with my backpack.

Eventually, I met people. Three men from South Africa, with bleach blond hair and freckles, and thick accents. We slept in the train station at San Sebastian, before finally finding a cab that would drive us the extra 30 or so miles to Pamplona. It was the stretch of summer; backpackers crowded the clean sidewalks, clamoring for buses or trains and paying no attention to us. I was drunk, and there was a hole in my trousers, just below the knee.

We found the cab. The driver smelled of sweat and wine, and he crossed the mountains in the early dawn. When we arrived in Pamplona, throngs of people scuffed along the thin streets. Sidewalks were jammed, street vendors screamed into the skies, and we picked our moment, choosing to dart out the car door and into the crowd before the driver knew what hit him.

I spent days in San Fermin. The call of the drums, the sweetness of the chorizo and wine, the camaraderie of the masses. Waves of people in white linen, a red neckerchief, a crimson sash through their belt loops.

Each morning, we huddled at the foot of the hill in Old Town, fenced in by thick wooden barriers that stood ten feet high. Onlookers lined the streets, straining to find a vantage point. Thousands of us, sweaty, cold, hungover and wide-eyed, struggling to hear the bells further down the street. When they rang, we began to run, a slow jog, careful not to tread on the feet of those around us. I lumbered into action, weary, limbs full of lead and cheap wine. As the crowd thinned, the faster runners making ground and leaving the rest of us behind, the noise grew. The steady, frantic slap of wet bull hoofs on the old cobbled streets, their pace quickening, catching us as we rounded the sharp turn toward the final stretch. I could see the stadium at the crest of the hill, and the space between me and other fevered runners was filled with large black masses. Bulls, snorting loudly, the younger ones scared to be separated from their mothers.

I ran quicker, constantly watching my rear, with just enough space between me and danger. Entering the arena, I darted to one side and let the nearest bull dart past, skidding on the damp sand, and I found a safe place behind the wall. Two older men helped me up and over, and I caught my breath behind two feet of concrete.

Five years later, I can still feel that bull beside me.

I Fell Down Some Stairs

A monster of Scruff proportions.

If I Ever Recover
Basement Jaxx
Kish Kash
Astralwerks : 2003
[Listen] [Buy]

Night Knuckles
Clark
Body Riddle
Warp Records : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Around The World / Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
Daft Punk
Live @ Coachella 2006
Bootleg
[Listen]

Flashlight
Eliot Lipp
Steele Street Scraps
Hefty Records : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Amusement Park Heart
Q-Burns Abstract Message
Invisible Airline
Astralwerks : 2001
[Listen] [Buy]

Wallet Falls
Subtle
Spring
A Purple 100 : 2004
[Listen] [This one is a little rare, Buy other Subtle Here]

We've got a nice little bundle for you this afternoon - a collection of primarily electronic beats to carry you on into the evening. Play it loud.

First off, we've got "If I Ever Recover" from Basement Jaxx's 3rd album, Kish Kash - this soft flowing track is more in the style of Underworld than the 'jaxx with it's simple beat, unrelenting electro-bass and the enlightening string section. This would be a nice track to wake up to, hungover or not.

Next is Clark's "Night Knuckles," a wonderful mesh of what sounds like an orchestra of clanging bottles paired with a xylophone, at a speed usually reserved for Drum'n'Bass - very much in the vein of Apex Twin. I almost want to call it whimsical rhythmicality.

We're big fans of Daft Punk here - this track is just a piece of their stellar set from Coachella this year. Here we've got "Around The World" mixed into "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" with a lot of new elements added - it's really a great listen for Daft fans. Thanks to Chuck for pointing this one out.

Eliot Lipp surely has a sound of his own - it's electronic, but somehow he's captured a style of dank funk that I've yet to hear from anyone else. Dark synths and live-snare beats = drop dead sexy.

Florida DJ/Producer Michael Donaldson is also known as Q-Burns Abstract Message - I always thought this name was tight. I found out about this guy when he was touring with the Chemical Brothers a while back and he knows how to shake a crowd. "Amusement Park Heart" is a bouncy, funky track - very danceable without sounding 'dancey' - which I try to avoid at all costs.

Subtle is made up of Anticon's anti-posterboys, Jel & Doseone [a.k.a. Themselves] along with Dax Pierson, Marty Dowers, Jordan Dalrymple and Alexander Kort. Pumping out experimental indie rock that's very much influenced by hip-hop beats and electronic style. "Wallet Falls" is a sinister, eclectic track that's an instant head bobber. Feel dark and dig it.

Leaning forward, so you can lean back.
Stay tuned -- Silent K.

Excuse me while I adjust the levels temporarily

Bomb in a Trumpet Factory
Quantic
An Announcement to Answer
Ubiquity : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Saturday Night Worldcup Fieber
Mouse on Mars
Iaora Tahiti
Too Pure/Beggars : 1998
[Listen] [Buy]

FLYYYYYYY
Jay Dee
"Jay Dee V.3"
??? : ???
[Listen]

E=MC2 [feat. Common]
J Dilla
The Shining
BBE : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

The Slugger of Louisville
Count Bass D
Act Your Waist Size
Fat Beats : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Tales from Beyond the Groove
The Limp Twins
Tales from Beyond the Groove
Tru Thoughts : 2004
[Listen] [Buy]

Another quick dose before the weekend hits. As usual, it's all over the map, kinda. Some shit to bounce around the room to, some shit to pop a pill and melt into the couch to, and some shit to be productive to.

It's worth yr time, once again. I feel like I've been bringing the straight fucking fire around here lately... anyone know how to get people reading? Is anyone out there?

Regardless, I'm not going to stop the fun and games.

So..

More Quantic for that ass. His new LP has to be towards the top of my top 10 in 2006 [can't wait for the pain that will be figuring out the list in December, seriously], and this is another groovy, jazzy cut. There's a good video of him on coolhunting.com talking you through his vinyl digging habits and music-making techniques, which is well worth a view or two. Good man, indeed. The funky horn break works perfectly with the solid beat he lays underneath. The notes flourish amid a sea of snare and hi-hat.

Next, an old favourite from Mouse on Mars. Quirky, knob-tweaking, dub-influenced electronica. Driving, tinny beats are densely populated by spacey, weird noise. It's pleasurable, and kinda makes me feel like I'm 14 years old again, bouncing off the walls on one of those saturday morning cartoon/sugar rushes.

In at #3 on the list, another silky smooth beat from Jay Dee. I have no clue where to even begin on getting the offical track information, because I have so many mixtapes and beat tapes by the master ["released" between 2002-2005], so I'm just going to assume that my tags are correct. If someone can fill in the blanks, I'll be yr best friend. Regardless, his beats are second-to-none, right? I think we all agree. I'm prepping another bumper J Dilla beats package for some time next week, I think, so consider this a taste. And for good measure, a cut from the Shining. Why? Why not?

And then.... Count Bass D. Analog Giant has a couple of cuts from this album posted, and this is another track that has stuck in my brain. I love his style, and this LP has plenty of variety. This track is chilled-out enough, thanks to the sliding, sloppy beat and spaced-out keys barely in the back of the mix. His rhymes are as fluid as their accompaniment, and it's enough to get yr head nodding firmly in time with the music.

Finally, to come full circle and complete, some more Quantic in the form of the Limp Twins. This dubby, spacey duo consists of Mr. Will Holland himself, and his longtime friend Russ Porter, and together they hand-craft tasty slabs of eclectic music. This track, the album opener, is pure anthem: a nifty little organ ditty is the backbone, and immediately brings to mind the lo-fi, home-style production of the Beta Band. At [0:34], the funky bassline kicks in, soon to be joined with wave after wave of acoustic guitar. This track has me in the best possible mood. I hope it does the same for you.

And so, another workweek in the books. There will be some weekend FmGT, at some point, and hopefully as you can tell, we're finding our stride again. Every day, something on offer, something on display. Don't miss a beat.

Sample my Enthusiasm

Sleeping in a Jar
Frank Zappa
Uncle Meat
Zappa Records : 1987
[Listen] [Buy]

Nardis
Bill Evans
Explorations
OJC : 1991
[Listen] [Buy]

Funny Ways
Gentle Giant
Gentle Giant
Mercury : 1970
[Listen] [Buy]

That Ain't the Way You Make Love
ZZ Hill
[Listen]

Hula Rock
Lew Howard & The All-Stars
[Listen]

Pearl
The Mamas and the Papas
People Like Us
Dunhill : 1971
[Listen] [Buy]

Cat
Teruo Nakamura
[Listen]

Friends and Strangers
Ronnie Laws
Friends and Strangers
Blue Note : 1977
[Listen] [Buy]

I'm getting carried away again. So much out there worth my time and devotion, not to mention just my attention in general. What do I mean?

Well, it's time for more sample-ish goodness. This time, I'm hitting the glory that is 2004's Madvillainy, surely one of the best releases in 2004 and launching gents MF Doom and Madlib into the spotlight once and for all.

In addition, a couple of funky cuts that made it into MF Doom's Special Herbs & Spices series in the form of various breaks.

I doubt this will be will a regular feature, but man, I've been obsessed with getting to the root of some favourite tracks and albums for a while. Palms Out Sounds does a much better job with the steady meal of obscure originals found in our modern bread and butter, but hey, this post is mainly to highlight Madlib, once again. I mean, the guy doesn't need the sustained validation, but Madvillain was constructed using a whole lot of weird-ass, difficult shit. Listening to the originals, it's incredible to me that he saw enough in them to bring them into the vision of Madvillainy. Odd riffs, weird vocal samples, and off-beat, off-kilter nuggets populate the landscape; here are just a few of them.

I feel like a magician breaking the code with posts like this.

Cheers, big ears!

I Was a Lover
TV on the Radio
Return to Cookie Mountain
4AD/Interscope : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Dirtywhirl
TV on the Radio
Return to Cookie Mountain
4AD/Interscope : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Blues From Down Here
TV on the Radio
Return to Cookie Mountain
4AD/Interscope : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Cellphone's Dead
Beck
The Information
Interscope : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Dark Star
Beck
The Information
Interscope : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Soldier Jane
Beck
The Information
Interscope : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Movie Theme
Beck
The Information
Interscope : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

I keep a list in my wallet. When I hear of a new band I want to check out, or when I remember an old band I’d like to listen deeper to, or when I learn about something that sounds too interesting not to check out, I write it down on the list. Sometimes just a band, sometimes a specific CD.

This is because I don’t go to the record store often. What with student loans, car payments, credit card debt, and all that happy horseshit, a new CD seems like a hard to justify luxury. Then, after months of good behavior the dam bursts and my welling id pours forth in a torrent of orgiastic consumerism.

It’s all the CD’s fault. They’re so damn shiny, and you can carry so many in one hand.

And yes, there is an afterglow.

My problem (besides cash) is that, for some reason, the second I enter a record store, I find myself instantly unable to recall any of the releases I’ve been anticipating in my months of abstinence. I end up walking the store, A to Z or Z to A, picking out whatever marginally interests me, resulting in a handful of surprises, a few disappointments, and an assortment of forgettable purchases.

Hence, the list. Intended to keep me focused, sharp, spending money only on ventures I’ve decided ahead of time to take a risk on. So the other day, I found myself with a little extra cash after paying the bills, and I remembered that the new Long Winters disc had come out. I figured I’d treat myself to that and maybe one other, if I could find something. I walked in with the best intentions. I pulled out the list.

An hour later I walked out with 7 discs, none of them from the list. (I’d forgotten to put the new Long Winters on there, so my system’s apparently flawed all over.) Anyhow, I’m sharing two of them with you today.

There’s quite a bit of hype out there about TV on the Radio’s latest, Return to Cookie Mountain, which hit the states and Canada last month. I missed just about all of it, considering that I practically live in a hole. I did catch one article, however, which suggested it was one of the best albums of ’06. (I clicked on the article because I love cookies and I wanted to know what this mountain was all about.) They made it sound so good, so catchy, so relevant.

I haven’t heard all the albums of ’06, so I can’t speak as to its relative status, but I have to say, it’s one that really grew on me. Or maybe I should say into me, to the extent that a loop of sound will get caught in my head and I’ll have to think hard about where it came from, tracing it back to a 3 second loop deep in a track. What threw me the most about this one is how easy it is to digest on the first listen. I didn't expect the depth that's revealed upon further plays.

One last thing about TV on the Radio: I was a Lover is fucking it. Fresh. Taught. Open up your brain and let it take residence. It will be one of the best tenants you’ve had.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need a moment here.

Beck, Beck, Beck. Remember back in 1996 when I bought Odelay? We sat there, me at my computer desk, headphones plugged into the CD-ROM’s faceplate, you, in the wire, doing your funky white boy thing over some of the best produced music ever encoded. I couldn’t do anything, not a thing. I tried chatting on ICQ. I tried browsing the internet. I tried playing solitaire, but you kept interrupting me. I sat through the length of your disk with my mouth slightly open, my hands occasionally pressing the headphones tighter, and my brain processing sounds it had not yet considered.

And here we are, after a whole decade together. We’ve had Mutations, by far one of my favorites. We wiggled and writhed together in sex-flash pleather neon-funk with Midnight Vultures. Mourning through a lonely winter, we drifted listless through your naked Sea Change. Then we reminisced about the good old days of Odelay over some Guero. And now you’ve put forth this new offering: The Information.

I have to be honest man, Guero was good. There are some damn catchy tracks I still enjoy when they come up on random. But as a whole, I don’t know. It was lacking something. It just didn’t stick, you know?

It’s weird. I rarely go back and listen to Sea Change, Midnight Vultures, or any of your old discs, but I can’t deny the times we had together. Substantial times, man. So when you came out with Guero, I could tell by your smile that you meant well. But the thrill was gone, the thrill was gone.

Then you came knocking with The Information. I wasn’t expecting to see you back, at least not so soon. I was weary in letting you in, but I did, and I’m glad. I don’t know what it is, (I never do right away with you), but it’s good to see you again man. It’s good to see you.

Speak softly

Meet Me at the Pomegranate Tree
Quantic
An Announcement to Answer
Ubiquity : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Silly Girl [feat. Joe Scudda]
Murs & 9th Wonder
Murray's Revenge
Record Collection : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Let the Dollar Circulate
Billy Paul
When Love is New
Philadelphia International Records : 1975
[Listen]

Dimention No. 9
Jacques Delon
[Listen]

Saliva
Viktor Vaughn
Vaudeville Villain
Traffic : 2003
[Listen] [Buy]

Rhymes and reasons. Lots of them.

I get obsessed with music very easily. It gets absurd after a point, whereby the same song gets played thirty or so times in a row, back to back, my ears still pricking up with every listen as if I've discovered something new about it. It gets familiar enough that I know some of the words or verses, and spit them in sync with the stereo speakers.

Do you get that? There are definite waves, and it comes and goes in cycles. The combination never makes sense either. It could hop-skip-jump from some quiet, gentle country strum to a brash, heavily-produced rap track, so outrageous you can hear the click-clack of the gold chains against one another in the left channel.

And so, to today's menu:

Quantic, aka Will Holland. Great ear for the beat, and he incorporates just about every style of music into the mix. Here, a nice little pizzicato riff, undercut with handclaps and jazz guitar, expands into a sweet drum beat, surrounded by juuust the right amount of vibes and bass. As lounge as it could get. Can't wait to see him live, whenever that might be.

More 9th Wonder, this time batting behind Murs at the plate. This has become a bit of an anthem lately, I guess because I'm single again [which is actually a good thing, right here, right now.... long story], and I don't know, in some dumb way, the playground-ish sample, coupled with the sharp female voice in the chorus, makes me feel good. Believe me, the lyrics have absolutely NOTHING to do with anything in my life, there isn't anything I can compare it to, but they make me laugh, and we all know that in this world, difficulty in relationships takes up a lot of time.

As for Billy Paul, no clue. I've been obsessed with the update of this track by soulster Steve Spacek [which was produced by J Dilla], but like they say, in order to look forward, sometimes you have to look back. Sure, this track is dated a little bit, sharing that odd warped synth sensation with Jaques Delon, but this song still gets the heartbeat up.

It feels extremely cinematic; I can see a determined man walking down the street in time with the beat. Paul's voice is silky smooth, the horns are a perfect twist of lime in the drink, and the rhythm is so good, I can understand why Spacek didn't fuck with that element too much at all. Believe me, you won't see a lot of disco around these parts [although this could get away with belonging in the soul department], but this is just one of those quirky vibes that worms into yr skull and get firmly wedged at the core. I also love the message, you know, let the dollar circulate. Spread the love. Haves, give some to the have nots. It'll make us all better in the long run.

And so to Jaques Delon [sp?]. I posted a track a couple of weeks ago, a Madlib remix of Fat Joe & Noreaga, and I sent a plea out to the masses for the name of the original sample, that funky fresh 10 seconds that kicks off the track. Reader Jzzy came to the rescue, and I dug around until I found the damn thing. Glorious. For some reason I'm listening to a lot of shit lately from that mid-70s realm, where bands were getting space-y in their explorations of funk. The basslines were rolling and muted, there was a heavy dose of synth and other weird electronic shit that was just hitting the spotlight, and then with this, some electric violin never hurts, right? I mean, Jean-Luc Ponty and Jerry Goodman made a [relative] fortune with their amped-up classical instrument in this period and well into the 80s, wowing jazz-rock and jazz-funk audiences with the new thing. Mahavishnu Orchestra employed them both for different LPs, and Ponty pioneered the new sound with his Violectra, and found work with Frank Zappa and Bela Fleck in the process.

But I digress. Nothing more satisfying than solving the mystery. JT 1, Hardy Boys 0. Thanks again Jzzy.

Love this sample that beefs up MF Doom at the dizzying peak of his talent. It really ties the room together. Moving on.

This should keep you warm until the sun rises again. What happened to the Bears tonight? Goddamn. How they did that is beyond me.

EDIT: Whoops. I mislabeled that Quantic track. It was NOT the track "Tell it like it is", but rather "Meet me at the Pomegranate Tree". Which is still delicious. Apologies.

Psycho Thriller - are wa nan desu ka?

Light gun action from Nintendo's pre-videogame products, courtesy
of this savvy collector.

Nostalgia for the Future
Dark Globe
Nostalgia for the Future
Global Underground - 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Electric Six
Gay Bar
Fire
XL Recordings - 2003
[Listen] [Buy]

The Great Boat Race
Jan Hammer
Miami Vice - The Complete Collection
One Way Records Inc. - 2002
[Listen] [Buy]

The Terrace
Linus Loves
Stage Invader
Breast Fed - 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Substance
Substantial
To This Union A Son Was Born
Dimid Recordings - 2001
[Listen] [Buy]

Global Underground has been kicking it up a few notches recently. The GU label has been and is a launching pad for countless compilation albums by the best DJs in the business [Danny Tenaglia & Alexander Coe, for example]. I used to love this stuff, eat it raw and spend far too much money on their limited edition "Boxed" sets. And then I got bored of it all. Sure these guys are all kick ass DJs, but how many compilations can one take before getting sick of the 4/4 beat dance floor anthems. The last few years have proved that it's all about the artist album, because it's becoming increasingly easy for guys like myself to make compilation disks that rival James Lavelle's GU set at whatever exotic locale seems most marketable [talk to me about Ibiza and you lose an eye]. Sure, I might have an advantage b/c of my kickass decks, but you get the point. So GU has started releasing some newer stuff that's actually worth the purchase price. Enter Dark Globe. Globe's album title track, "Nostalgia for the Future," is dark, progressive, melancholy and catchy. The track starts out as a chill electronic almost downtempo beat only to then switch it up and go breakbeat on you. The melody kicks in with an airy sound [almost like Hybrid] drawing you in like an interesting narrative and ending with you begging for a sequel. Lucky for you, there's an entire album full of this.

"Gay Bar" is a humorous track that came to me as a suggestion from 'Beautiful-Programmer-Mike.' The Detroit based Electric Six have a sound that reminds me of elements taken from Rollins Band, Mr. Bungle & Red Hot Chili Peppers - perhaps a love child of sorts - although, I have to doubt that anyone's paying child support.

I'm a very big fan of Crocket & Tubbs and I'm currently working my way through Season 2 of the Miami Vice DVD set. Jan Hammer's original soundtrack for the show is such an amazing artifact of musical composition and pop culture - the man really did change the way that Television hit our ears. I was lucky enough to see the man live, jamming with the Mahavishnu Project at Moog Fest 2006, here in NYC where he injected little bits of Vice-isms into the band's songs to my utter delight. Like many of Hammer's tracks, "The Great Boat Race" has a sound that many of today's electronic acts are still trying to replicate. So take this one from the source era - I think that it holds up rather well.

If you're a fan of Daft Punk and/or Mylo, then Linus Loves is the logical next step. "The Terrace" is synth driven progressive electronic funk that's catchy, happy and motivating - Easily in my top driving-with-the-top-down material right here.

I've had this album on repeat the entire past week. Substantial's To This Union A Son Was Born was released in 2001, but the beats are catchier than most hip-hop that's around today. That's probably because "Substance" is produced by Japanese super producer, Nujabes - an FmGT fan favorite. This is one of the better tracks from the album, so don't expect something on par with Metaphorical Music - still, these are great beats and Substantial has a way with words that few lyricists can claim. Eat it up.

Okay, I'm done writing for now - I've gotta go look into a new apartment.
Stay Tuned. -- Silent K

99 robots & no noodle soup

FMGraffiTi - Found and contributed to - just a little south west of Astor, NYC.

Sweet You
A Guy Called Gerald
Proto Acid: The Berlin Sessions
Laboratory Instinct - 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Cherokee
Acid Wolf [Lectro mix]
Mergerz & Acquisitionz
The Franchize - 2005
[Listen] [Buy]

I'd Tell You But...
Anti Flag
For Blood & Empire
RCA - 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Give Me Time
Darc Mind
Symptomatic Of A Greater Ill
Anticon - 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Yakuza
Pilfers
Pilfers
1998
[Listen]

Reign [RJD2 Vocal Mix]
Unkle
Self Defence
Global Underground - 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Quality tracks from my current playlist and a fulfilled request...

We've got a nice electronic warm down track off of the 7th album from A Guy Called Gerald; a very techno-electro track from Acid Wolf, that I simply can't stop listening to; the first track from Anti Flag's most recent album, which has seriously surprised the hell out of me with how good it is; A slick head noddin' hip-hop track from Darc Mind's new work; an FmGT fan-fulfillment with my favorite song by the now broken up but previously North Eastern Ska kings - the Pilfers; & finally rounding it off with the [up until now, vinyl exclusive] elusive RJD2 remix of James Lavelle & Richard File's [a.k.a. the current form of Unkle] over used and over remixed "Reign," which is kinda neat.

Daijobu watashi no tomodachis - Stay Tuned...
-- Silent K

What's that infernal twittering coming from your room?

Cindy Electronium
Raymond Scott
Ohm: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music
Ellipsis Arts : 2000
[Listen] [Buy]

Low Speed
Otto Luening
Ohm: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music
Ellipsis Arts : 2000
[Listen] [Buy]

Concertando Rubato From Elektro
Oskar Sala
Ohm: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music
Ellipsis Arts : 2000
[Listen] [Buy]

Wireless Fantasy
Vladimir Ussachevsky
Ohm: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music
Ellipsis Arts : 2000
[Listen] [Buy]

Poppy Nogood
Terry Riley
Ohm: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music
Ellipsis Arts : 2000
[Listen] [Buy]

Appalachian Grove I
Laurie Spiegel
Ohm: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music
Ellipsis Arts : 2000
[Listen] [Buy]

First of all, I’d like to thank JT and SilentK for the excellent introductions and for inviting me to participate in their wonderful enterprise on a more regular basis. I’m excited about this opportunity to share what’s been nibbling on my ears (to borrow from JT).

Second, I was all kinds of ready to come out of the gate with a set of songs that I’ve been drifting to for weeks when I came across some data stored and forgotten on my hard drive that, when accessed and interpreted, decoded transmitted and transduced, blew my fragile world apart.

That track up there. The first one. Yeah. Play that. And without looking at the title, guess what year it was recorded.

No.

Guess what decade.

The track comes from a compilation called OHM: The Gurus of Electronic Music, a CD set that looked too interesting not to check out. I’m sure I pawed through the pretty liner notes and packaging, skipping through tracks without much thought as I finished archiving the thing, only to forget about it pretty much entirely.

I have to admit, browsing the set feels a bit like walking through an aural museum without a tour guide. I know what I’m listening to is important, and in listening to it as such, is interesting. Without reading the liner, I’m left to wonder what mad audio scientist stayed up late tinkering and twittering with what old-ass (but then, evolutionary) machinery to get these drawn out eerie hums, beeps, and burps.

If I had sum up the entire experience, I’d say “interesting” would be the perfect word. Besides being historically important and technologically/sonically evolutionary, I don’t really see myself listening to most of these tracks for pleasure alone. For the most part, I just couldn’t get past the ‘neato!’ factor with most of these tracks.

Until, that is, I heard Cindy Electronium. Man, I don’t even remember what the hell I was doing in that part of my hard drive, but once I was there, I felt compelled to revisit these neglected mp3s. “Damn,” I thought, “this is catchy.”

Then, upon checking the date, I hit myself in the nuts with my falling jaw.

That shit, sounding like it just jumped out of your 8-bit ancient Nintendo cartridge, was recorded in 1959. Nineteen fifty nine.

That’s before my parents were born. Sputnik had gone into space two years prior. Most folks didn’t yet have color TV. Could you imagine hearing something like that slipping into the night from your AM radio set?

From there I decided to really listen through the other tracks.

Low Speed by Otto Luening reminded me of Aphex Twin’s ambient music, though slightly more organic sounding. Otto recorded a flute, lowered the pitch, did god knows what else with god knows what, and debuted it in 1952.

Oskar Sala played his Concertando Rubato on a machine he designed, which did things not previously possible with music. Things that I do not understand.

When I was a child, I thought there was something very creepy about radio. TV. Walkie-talkies. If these noises, voices, and pictures could be pulled right from the air we breathe, what else could exist there unseen? I don’t know what Vladimir Ussachevsky’s point of view was when he created Wireless Fantasy in 1960, but the piece to me embraces the eerie there-and-not-there-ness, the isolation of listening to others from a distance. And doesn't it make sense that his teacher was none other than Otto Luening?

I can’t wrap my head around Terry Riley’s Poppy Nogood (1968). I love this track. On one hand, it's one of the more musical, less challenging selections on the compilation. On the other hand, it’s easy to associate “toughness” with artistic and experimental merit. The more I listened though, and the more I thought about how difficult it would be to arrange and record something like this with the equipment of the day, the less I felt as if the piece didn’t belong with the others. Well, that, and this picture.

Appalachian Grove I is the title of Laurie Spiegel’s 1974 piece, and I tell you what: when I hear the words Appalachian and Grove, these electronic twitters are not what come to mind. Regardless, I can’t get past the song’s delicate feel. Dancing from speaker to speaker, changing in tone, no notes accidental or unnecessary. It sounds its age, yet gestures clearly towards music yet to come. If someone had mislabeled this as Aphex Twin, I would never have guessed the difference.

Quick Draw McGraw

Solar Waves
The Joe McDuphrey Experience
Experience EP
Stones Throw : 2005
[Listen] [Buy]

Deuces Up, Double Down Pt. I
Breakestra
Deuces Up, Double Down EP
Stones Throw : 2001
[Listen] [Buy]

Air [feat. Doom]
Dabrye
Two/Three
Ghostly International : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Serenade for a Fast Lady
Malik Flavors
Ugly Beauty
Stones Throw : 2004
[Listen] [Buy]

Do a Couple of Things
James Pants
Chrome Children
Stones Throw : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Boogie Man
KMD
Mr. Hood
Elektra : 1991
[Listen] [Buy]

These Days
Rhymefest
Blue Collar
Allido Records : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

I have a couple of things I'm writing at the moment, but, neither are quite finished. However, I do have just enough time today [in-between work] to slap up what I'm listening to RIGHT NOW. And -- surprise, surprise -- it's a whole lot of Stones Throw. And quite a lot of Madlib and his alter egos, as you can tell. G-ddamn. Absolutely glorious.

Also, give it up one more time to The Roy. He will be here shortly. We promise. He's different, too. Like, the peanut M&M to our chocolate M&M. That's not even close to the same thing.

Enjoy yr weekend. Spend it doing something you love.

Goggle box

I'm working on a couple of long posts, but couldn't bear the passing of another day without something 'round these fair parts.

I binged on YouTube tonight, and found some classic [albeit some with iffy quality] videos from way back in the day, and I figured I'd share. It's interesting to watch some of them, because a couple were made for TV, and it's funny to look at how television has changed between then and now. You'd never see shit like this on TV unless yr watching some out-of-the-way cable channel, because let's face it, the people aren't always pretty, the style is all wrong, and they're too long for today's shorter attention spans.

That's what makes little looks into the past like this so rewarding, I guess. Enjoy. Music tomorrow. I promise.

Marva Whitney aka "Soulsister Number One" from James Brown's Revue, performing Your Love Was Good for Me on "Playboy After Dark"

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - I Don't Live Today. Watch for the many drug-fueled dancers in the aisles.

Bobby Hebb - Sunny

Gil Scott-Heron - The Bottle

The Mahavishnu Orchestra - Noonward Race [one of the greatest bands ever in my opinion, seriously. In this incarnation: John McLaughin gtr, Billy Cobham drums, Rick Laird bass, Jan Hammer keys, Jerry Goodman violin]

Soul Boat

Only One Can Win
The Sylvers
The Sylvers
Pride : 1972
[Listen]

Rubber Band
The Trammps
The Legendary Zing Album
Buddah Records : 1975
[Listen]

Secretary
Betty Wright
Value Your Love/Secretary 12"
Alston Records : 1974
[Listen]

The Look of Slim
Gene Harris & The Three Sounds
Elegant Soul
Blue Note : 1968
[Listen]

Follow Your Heart
The Manhattans
Dedicated to You
Carnival : 1964
[Listen]

Today's treats, ladies and gentlemen. I have a TON of new music to share, all in good time, but tonight, a little tip from the realm of sampling, in the form of some old soul/jazz cuts that have been revamped by modern-day deities J Dilla, Madlib and RJD2. Nothing fancy [because after all, take a look around this place, do we believe in flair?], nothing wild. Just delicious soul to warm the cockles on your neck of the woods which, if you live in the Northeast like I do, is slowly getting colder.

Time is short today, so have fun figuring out where it all comes from. Shouldn't be too difficult.

In other news, we welcome into the FmGT labs the bearded presence of Pennsylvania's prodigal son, The Roy. He has beared his soul around these parts before, during our Retrospectives month [we're planning another big group collaboration month, so stay tuned] to great effect, chronicling the catalogs of two equally quirky collectives, REM and They Might be Giants, and he is here to stay. I mailed him his official FmGT labcoat this morning, and we can expect him to provide periodic breaths of fresh air in the form of rock n' roll and other weird stuff, things that Silent K and I are quite literally afraid of.

So be on the lookout for his first official post in the near future, and enjoy these soul cuts with someone you love. Or an inanimate object. Maybe make out with that poster you have of a favourite musician or movie star. Either way, it's none of my business. Bring the lights low and cuddle up. Back tomorrow.

Labor of Love

Houten Fire Station - Netherlands [Courtesy of the cool hunter]

Rock Number One
Cassius
15 Again
EMI Int'l - 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Cab Fare
Souls of Mischief & Hieroglyphics
That's When Ya Lost / Rock It Like That / Cab Fare [Vinyl EP]
Archives Inc - 1995
[Listen] [Know where to buy this? Tell us!]

Hold Up
Girl Talk
Night Ripper
Illegal Art - 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Main Theme
John Carpenter
Escape From New York - Extended Soundtrack
Silva America - 2005
[Listen] [Buy]

Stop Me
Planet Funk
The Illogical Consequence
EMI Records UK - 2005
[Listen] [Buy]

Suite For the Ways Things Change Right Now [Kojiro's blend]
Beastie Boys & Prefuse 73
FmGT Exclusive
FmGT Labs - 2006
[Listen]

Wait for Love
Fred Falke & Savage
Omega Man [Vinyl EP]
Work It Baby - 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Here's yet another mini-mix of tunes and beats from my off-the-wall collection aimed directly at your ear drums - Some old, some new and some totally exclusive.

French house duo, Cassius, is back with their third album. Known separately as Boombass & Zdar, they've released solid tunage in the form of the debut album 1999 and the half-way decent in my book follow up release, Au Reve. But the boys have been around producing mixes for Mixmag and even playing deck support for greats like, JT's favorite, MC Solaar. If you're a Cassius fan, then you know what you're getting into: fast beats, smooth synths and sometimes hit-or-miss vocals. "Rock Number One" lands on the hit side of the fence and in all honesty, it's the only track the on the new album that gives me that 'need it in my veins' feeling.

Next is a nice Hip-hop rarity from those smooth Hieroglyphics masterminds, Souls of Mischeif . With a sweet sampling of the original theme to the late '70s television show, Taxi. "Cab Fare" is an incredibly chill track. I only wish that the quality of the mp3 was a little better.

Every month or so there's a new mash-up track that we all need - my favorite still being Al B's mash of the "theme to Beverly Hills Cop" with The Beastie Boys' "Ch Check It Out." Sometimes though we get lucky and it'll be an entire album [like the bomb of gold that was Dangermouse's Grey Album]. Greg Gillis brings himself in as the current contender, riding as Girl Talk. Night Ripper is more impressive on the cuts and production values rather than the way that it sounds - ooh, but I'm always a sucker for some Weezer & the Pixies mixed with anything.

Escape from New York is one of John Carpenter's best films, mainly because Snake Plisken is such an awesome hard ass mother fucker. If you haven't seen the film yet and you're an action flick fan, check it out, it won't disappoint. Carpenter is known for being very involved with the sound design of his films - one of my favorites being the main theme to In The Mouth of Madness. The "main theme" to Escape From New York is equally unique and fitting for its film - with a slick synthesizer melody following one path - just like Snake, get in it's way and you're toast, or just enjoy the ride. Can anyone tell me WTF is going on with the ever rumored Escape from Earth? "Welcome to the human race" baby.

Italian electronic collective Planet Funk has two albums, each of which only half listenable - that's not to say that they don't have a few really great songs though. Their first album, Non Zero Sumness featured the trance era, Groove Radio induced hit, "Chase the Sun" as well as the remixed too many times, "Inside All the People" [the Deep Dish remix is the best - don't waste your time on anything else]. Their second effort, The Illogical Consequence, just like the first album has a couple of really great tracks, but more than a handful of unlistenable poo poo. "Stop Me" might be the best track on the album. It's a great track as far as Italian tech pop is concerned - you know, because that's a HUGE market ^_^. It's progressive and it's got a really catchy beat. Scratch that electric itch and put it on - it's only a click away.

Once again, the mighty smooth and rightly tight Acid pro, Kojiro, has dropped another beat love child on our doorstep here at FmGT Labs. This stellar track features The Beastie Boys' "Right Now" synkronized perfectly with a loop from Prefuse 73's "Suite for the Way Things Change." It's a solid creation and we want more real soon. FmGT <3 Kojiro.

Ending it off is a track from Fred Falke & Savage in true Daft Punk style. Fred has worked closely with Guy & Thomas on a variety of projects and could be considered to be just as responsible for that dank electronic funk as the DP themselves. I've been holding my breathe for quite some time for Falke to release a proper album because I need something besides Mylo to relieve me of the pain that was Daft Punk's third album. French House, deep, dark and moving - I know ya dig it.

So that's it for today, a grab bag of tricks sure to make Felix proud. Have you welcomed Roy yet? Stay Tuned -- Silent K.