Cut.

I’m at number140 with the latest LE Mix, that’s a lot of music I’ve selected, mixed, recorded and made available for you to download since 2008. It’s also a lot of file space and anyone who has dabbled around with “the cloud” soon realizes the more you use the more you need. LIFE ELSEWHERE is moving forward and I need to free up space. After 1.25.2012 I will be changing the availability of the LE Mixes. Don’t wait - download now!

Alex Smoke from Glasgow begins LE Mix #140. With a background in classical music he made his debut to critical acclaim in 2002 with “Random As”. This young producer works his innovative style by fusing minimalism with emotional strings and intelligent electro rhythms to full effect on Miyako. “We are two musicians Ian McDonnell and Dara Smith. We make electronic music of all styles.” So say Lakker on their Twitter page. After listening to Spider Silk check out these Dubliners effort’s on Soundcloud. I received Crosstown from Kid Counselor (aka Jacob Leech) some weeks back with the intention of including it sooner than later. I think Mr. Counselor/Leech will approve of the inclusion in LE Mix #140. Escape Myself from Answer Code Request is almost contradictory, being deep and catchy yet with a menacingly dark bass-line; surprisingly bright beats and grim static with unexpected effects poking in and out. Out of Düsseldorf on the Themes For Great Cities imprint Wolf Müller gives us Pflanzentanz from an EP titled “Lagerfeuer Tanz” (Campfire Dance). Discogs curiously list the genre as “Electronic, Folk, World, & Country” and the Style as “Tribal, Experimental, Disco”. So much for labels I say! A female voice and birds chirping float in and out of With You, a three-and-a-half-minute song from San Francisco producer Giraffage and everytime I play I hear something different. The Townhouse remix of So Sorry by Melbourne’s Geoffrey O’Connor reminds me that pop music should always be this good. We stay down under for Someone by Tuksta. I have no more information about this other than to report that the big fat dollop of bass and Indian(?) guitar samples work beautifully as does the syncopated percussion. You’ll find more on Soundcloud. On first listen to Drugged Out Quest by Ssaliva I reckoned I’d received a warped copy, until I clouted myself in the side of the head, noting it was an MP3 file, since then I’ve listened to the cut many times and like it warps n’ all. I played 10-20’s Bloomback for my long-suffering hairdresser and aspiring rock-star, the exceptionally talented Jimi Bob. As he wielded his lethal shears mere millimeters from my right ear he gave the track a big thumbs up while exclaiming, “Yeah! Fucking good man, love it!” We close this edition of LE Mix #140 with Hi-Fi Hi-Jinx a retro-funk-loop outing by Lasership Stereo, you can check out more at Soundcloud. Enjoy neatly.  
LE Mix #140

Alex Smoke - Miyako
Lakker - Spider Silk
Kid Counselor - Crosstown
Answer Code Request - Escape Myself
Wolf Müller - Pflanzentanz
Giraffage - With You
Geoffrey O'Connor - So Sorry (The Townhouses Remix)
Tuksta - Someone
Ssaliva - Drugged Out Quest
10-20 - Bloomback
Lasership Stereo - Hi-Fi Hi-Jinx

Image: “Jimi Bob cuts James’ hair” 1.21.2012 
 

What D’you Know About Martin Luther King.

“Hey daddy!” Yelled my son as he squashed his beautiful face into mine just in case I hadn’t realized he was there, “It’s Martin Luther King Day on Monday…no school! Yeah! Hurray!” I was busy struggling with a recipe for pancakes…adulterating the ingredients to concoct into what I hoped would end up as crepes, half-heartedly I asked, “What D’you know about Martin Luther King?” Even though I now had my back to my gorgeous son’s face I could sense he’d instantly donned a snarling, ”Jeez…give me a break” look. Lethargically he sighed, “Oh dad! Dr. Martin Luther King told the people that racism is wrong and he made really important speeches and got shot dead by a man who didn’t want black people to have the same stuff as white people. He was a very good man and there are streets named after him.” He maneuvered himself alongside me and was now dipping a terrifyingly grubby finger into the batter; “And Martin Luther King made it OK for a black man to be President even though Barack Obama is not all black he is black enough for some people to think he shouldn’t be in the White House.” James, my son said all this with air of a bored lecturer, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d continued with, “Right, get you composition book out and write down what you’ve learnt today.” Instead continuing in his new-found teacher-voice said, ‘Think about it like this dad, imagine if everyone could change color for one day then they’d know what it feels like and understand the color of your skin doesn’t make you a better person.” I put my pancake/crepe adventure on hold to pay full attention to my son. He dunked another soiled finger into the mixture then announced, “I’m betting if you asked a racist person why they think that way, you’ll never going to get a good answer ‘cause the first person who thought like a racist didn’t take time to think sensibly and then passed those wrong dumb thoughts on from one generation to another so now you have people who think they don’t like people of color but they don’t know why. It’s like fat families who keep on eating, they know it’s not good for ‘em but they keep on doing it anyway.”

The batter now had suspicious looking grey swirls in it but the finished pancake/crepes were surprisingly good, especially when alternately filled with lashings of Nuttela or apricot jam. Enjoy respectfully.

LE Mix #139

Jacin - Human Rights
Dennis Brown - Declaration Of Rights
Rockers Hi-Fi - Free
The Twinkle Brothers - Solid As A Rock
I Roy - I And Equality
Fatman Vs Shaka - Repatriation Dub
Image: "James & Jerrod" 11.2011

Catching Up With The Music.

Honestly, I’m way behind in getting to review a massive amount of music that has come my way recently in all shapes and sizes including a brilliant remix CD from my long-time faves 808 State, a  box-load of wonderful vinyl from Agitated Records and a slew of amazing MP3’s from here, there and (it would seem) everywhere in between. I’ll catch up with the music in upcoming editions of Life Elsewhere beginning with this the latest LE Mix #138.

When I first heard Perc’s My Head Is Slowly Exploding I had a…wait for it…flashback to the golden age of Industrial Music…well bugger me if I wasn’t right on the money before I’d even looked at the small print. Released on the Londoner’s own Perc Trax imprint the 12” has three versions, one of which is reworked by Industrial figurehead Chris Carter. But I’ve chosen Berlin’s Ancient Methods version, which I’m rather confidant you’ll approve of. UK producer Graphics offers us The Provoker with a simple melody, and a vocal sample of a French child over a beat that stutters while unruly percussive noises dash in and out of background synths. Next up, international relations at their best with Stockholm-based The Whendays remixing of Austin duo Boy Friend's Egyptian Wrinkle single from the forthcoming LP of the same name. Not sure what is was that alerted me but something about Graintable’s April O'Neil said it had to come out of the Pacific Northwest. Kinda think it may have been because of the last time I was in my adopted hometown I heard music on a par with this effort. The Morning Clouds’ A Walk Home has been skillfully stretched out by Glaswegian producer Sad City into what my son describes as “That music you listen to daddy when you’re working”. I do believe that’s a compliment. Genesis comes to us from Canadian songstress Grimes' forthcoming Visions LP for 4AD…enough said. London producer Point B a.k.a. Richard Bultitude has been around for some time but Versus shows him so up-to-date with his shuffling, electro-tinged garage rhythms. We stay in the UK and head up north to Leeds-based producer Gavin Herlihy with In Space & In Time I will admit to having danced around the kitchen as I made dinner the other evening to this for rather longer than was probably appropriate or enjoyable to witness. We round up Mix #138 with daft spelling and lovely music, Time Wharp with yrLyf featuring a vocal sample that even non train-spotters may recognize.

As you listen do please take notice of our “Places We Like” list on the right of this page. We change this often and hope you enjoy and won’t miss some of the more interesting places we have found on the wibbly-wobbly web. Also on the same side of the page is our “donate” button. This is where I ask you to show your appreciation for the time and effort I put in by making a small donation. Thank you sincerely to everyone who has. Enjoy LE Mix # 138 knowing you helped just a little bit.

LE Mix #138

Perc - My Head Is Slowly Exploding (Ancient Methods Remix)

Graphics - The Provoker

Boy Friend - Egyptian Wrinkle (The Whendays Remix)

Graintable - April O'Neil

The Morning Clouds - A Walk Home (LA Remix by Sad City)

Grimes - Genesis

Point B - Versus

Gavin Herlihy - In Space & In Time

Time Wharp - yrLyf

Image: “And the band played on…” Live concert, North Tampa, Florida 1.8.2012

The Elvis & Bowie Fan.

“If there hadn't been an Elvis, there wouldn't have been the Beatles.” said John Lennon in 1965. I knew exactly what he meant…yes, Lennon was referring to the inspiration and musical heritage but I also believe the late great Beatle was talking about the pure essence of rock ‘n’ roll that Presley oozed. Coincidently another artist who would not only agree with Lennon and most certainly studied the young Elvis’s penchant for outrageous clothes, eyeliner and rouge also happens to share the same birthday as The Memphis Flash. So, could it be more than just chance that the two rock artists I will openly and willing admit to being a fan of, were born on January 8th, Elvis Presley in 1935 and David Bowie in 1947? I choose to think not. From my very first exposure to Elvis when I was barely 10 years old to the day he died in 1977, I was able to bore almost any unsuspecting soul with my exuberant recital on the magnificence of Presley’s status in my world. Some years after his death I had just secured my first Talk Radio job and continued to rave enthusiastically about Elvis, apparently much to the dismay of my fellow talk hosts and the ornery program director. We had gathered together for a pre-station launch meeting where we sat around a conference table explaining why we were unique Talk Show hosts. To get things under way we were each told to name the person we would most like to interview, be they dead or alive. The answers from the other talk hosts were astonishingly predictable…Jesus x 3; JFK x 2; Ronald Reagan x 2. Then it came to my turn, I spoke with passion, “The most important figure of the 20th century, the man who changed our world…” I began. All eyes were on me, so I paused for dramatic effect, “Elvis Presley!” I said slowly. There was an immediate ripple of laughter. The man next to me who later went onto fashion a successful career pretending to be a staunch conservative and devout Christian quipped, “Seriously dear, that’s not clever…or witty!” With an exaggerated sigh the program director chimed in and said, “Is there anyone else, Norman?” I looked around the room and wished John Lennon was there with me, maybe then this bunch of tedious toadies would take my choice seriously. There was another person I had a longing to chat with, but decided to forgo the certain derision I knew the name David Bowie would trigger. While Bowie hadn’t changed culture or our world the way Presley had I did reckon he would make for an incredible interview, if I ever got the chance.

Oddly enough Bowie and I crossed paths a couple of times in London. The first was a rambling spontaneous party thrown by airbrush wiz Terry Pastor, who’d worked on the artwork for “The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars”. Drinks were flowing the music loud and everyone was having a grand old time. I drifted away from the hubbub of people and stood casting a quizzical eye over the whole room. Then something in one dark recess caught my attention, I moved closer and bent down to peer into a glass tank that was home to a huge hairy black spider. Studying intently on the other side of the glass case was a thin odd-looking fellow. “Bloody scary innit?” He mumbled. I agreed while he vanished into the throng. It wasn’t until we were scampering home bundled up against the cold London night that my girlfriend said, “You know who that bloke looking at the spider was, don’t you? Bowie. David Bowie!” A few years later I was doing well enough to be able to afford to dine in fashionable eateries. One evening we were at the elite Provan's on the Fulham Road, sitting two tables away was a large party that included the same thin man who’d commented on the scary spider. “Isn’t that…?” I attempted to ask my girlfriend, “Yes!” She snapped, adding, “Bloody hell he could be sitting right next to you and you’d still have to ask!” At that time Mr. Bowie was garnering much attention for his portrayal as Thomas Jerome Newton, an alien from a dying planet, in Nicolas Roeg’s “The Man Who Fell to Earth”, also once again he’d changed musical direction with the release of “Station To Station”, two important facts that clearly justified my appreciation of the man’s talent.

In a few years I too had changed direction…I began a new career as a DJ in America. Elvis was now dead but Bowie remained alive despite reports of his fragile state as he delved into a thick fog of drug abuse. It was too late to interview the first of my two idols but perhaps now I was on the radio I may hopefully one day have an opportunity to interview Mr. Bowie. Eventually that day arrived in 1991 when Bowie was fit and healthy and touring with his band Tin Machine and I was holding down afternoon drive at KNDD, The End. An interview was arranged but I was cautioned that Mr. Bowie would allow no more than 5 minutes and in that time he would promote his band, the new album and nothing else. Questions about his life past and present, political views, sexuality and anything else I may consider asking were strictly forbidden. On the day of the interview a jaded record company A & R man reported in that Mr. Bowie had a terrible cold and his doctor advised him to not leave his hotel room. Could we talk on the phone I pleaded. The A & R guy didn’t give much hope to that. Then just as I went on the air at 3pm I received a message that “David Bowie will call you sometime during your show”. Back in those days we used reel-to-reel tape machines to record telephone calls. I would edit a call and then play it on the air as if it were live. I’d just asked a trivia question about Bowie and was editing a response for playback on the air when the Hot Line rang. Nine times out of ten if the Hot Line rang it was the program director with a “Don’t let that happen again!” warning. With tape in pieces on the editing block I snatched up the bright red phone and prepared myself for the inevitable rant about not saying the station ID enough or something equally annoying. I carried on splicing tape trying to make the trivia caller sound reasonably coherent while I half-heartedly listened to the expected tirade instead I heard someone coughing, sniffing then blowing their nose down the other end of the phone. “Er…sorry about that…sniff, cough, ello…is that Norman?” Said an obviously cold suffering David Bowie. We did the usual introductory pleasantries then he launched into a hilarious story about trying to call me but managing instead to get a wrong number and bothering an older lady who had no idea who the hell David Bowie or Norman B were. We chatted away like we were old friends. I mentioned the two times our paths had sort of crossed and we both recognized we had mutual friends from back in the day in London. I had to go to a break, switch over to Travis the traffic guy and play some commercials. “I have to put you on hold”, I told a very amiable David Bowie. “No problem”, he said jauntily, “I’m enjoying this its bringing back great memories.” I put David on hold, went to the break, chatted briefly with Travis, played the commercials, came back and did a quick teaser for the up-coming interview with my idol. The play-list required me to play a couple more songs then I cued up Bowie’s “Young Americans”. As the music played I returned to chatting with the man. We had a great time, recounting places, faces and even clothes we wore. Then it was time to go on the air, “Stand by”, I told David, “I’m gonna introduce you as over “Young Americans”. “Great choice!” He replied, I potted up the mic and glanced over at the tape machine it was then I realized that I’d been chatting merrily for over twenty minutes to the man I’d wanted to interview for so long. We’d been having a wonderful intimate personal conversation and not a single word had been recoded.

Thankfully I did record my live on-air interview, you can listen to a small edit using the Divshare player below. My full interview with David Bowie will be available for download and I’ll explain how in an upcoming Life Elsewhere post. All you need to do is bookmark this site and make sure you visit often. Enjoy celebrating Elvis & David's birthdays.

LE Mix # 137

Norman B’s interview with David Bowie (sample edit)

David Bowie – Sunday (Moby Remix)

Image: Jean Paul Bêzayrie “Elvis/David” 2002 90” x 40” Acrylic on board

It Took A Year.

Happy New Year! There, I said it. And I mean it. I’ve thought a lot about what it means, what I hope for and what I fear in the coming year. At the far end of 2012 in the country where I reside an election looms. I don’t want to make any predictions but this could turn out to be even more significant and historical than the last in which Barack Obama was elected President. It is as peculiar as it is preposterous as it is tragic that the divide in the USA is so extreme.

My young son desperately excited to use his much-treasured gift certificates on yet more “Skylander” characters convinced me to join the throngs of post-Christmas shoppers at the mall. As he happily snatched up the last “super rare” Ghost Roaster (or was it Gill Grunt?) and we stood in a never-ending line at Gamestop I studied the hoards of shoppers scuttling from one “Gigantic New Year’s Sale” to another. It puzzled me how could this wonderfully assorted mass of humanity be so conflicted in their beliefs How is it possible for people who share such divergent opinions on the fundamentals of life gladly bustle along together shopping merrily as if running up more debt on their Visa was for the common good. For a moment (just for a moment) I wanted to shout, “Stop! Stand still everyone who hates a man of mixed-race in the White House and believes he is a raging socialist and uses the term Obama-care without understanding the criminality of the pharmaceutical/ insurance monopolies and are packing guns to defend themselves against attack on their person in Bed Bath & Beyond and were carefully conceived in wedlock and have nothing but heterosexual inclinations and are anti-drug unless the prescriptions comes c/o a doctor who wittingly bows down to extortionate pharmaceutical and insurance companies and pray to a fabled Jewish orator and think government is bad unless it spends pornographic amounts of money on military might that can never ever be used efficiently and the death penalty is a deterrent and abortion wrong and countries should be invaded if they don’t conform to our pleasure and immigrants kicked out and and….” The line in Gamestop was at last moving and my head was going to explode. “You look funny daddy?” Observed James, my beautiful son. I smiled, hugged him probably a little too tightly and assured myself of what I have to look forward to in 2012.

We begin the New Year with a new LE Mix designed with purpose, Different Morals a wonderful title perfectly sums up the mode for 2012 even though this track from Luca C & Brigante feat. Ali Love was released last year. We’ve had Wintercoats for some time (sorry about that, couldn’t help ourselves), but this remix of Forest Of Lovers by Southern Shores is sensible, cozy, comfortable…(sorry again). We keep thinking Dubstep each time we play Standoff from London, production trio Dark Sky and we approve. Not sure why such an awkward name but NZCA/LINES manage to make lyrics about leaving the office early and cooking alone, er, um enjoyable on Okinawa Channels We were admittedly hesitant about including the next track Nyår (New Year) because we deliberately avoid obvious seasonal themed releases but the teaming of labelmates Emil Jensen and Familjen from Adrian records managed to win us over. Trouble's At The Top from Young Heel yet another release from last year we were determined to include before January is over! 24 year-old Hip Hop producer Mike Volpe aka Clams Casino is from North Jersey but after carefully listening to Drowning we could be convinced he hailed from Grime central in London. We’ve already been impressed with Julianna Barwick’s work, so the remixes she presents as “The Matrimony Remixes” do not disappoint, the Prince Rama remix of Prizewinning being a fine example. Dot Allison fronted early 90’s outfit One Dove whose first single I would sneak on the air at KNDD, she went on to work with Death In Vegas and Massive Attack but it was her touring with Pete Doherty and Babyshambles in 2005 that led to a new interest in her talents. This lo-fi melancholy reading of I Wanna Break Your Heart with Mr. D convinces us to watch out for more from Ms. A. And now to the last track in LE Mix 136, some years ago I was extremely privileged to make contact with the legendary Klaus Schulze who very kindly would regularly send to me copies of his latest work. Work I should add that he not only recorded but also produced which resulted in my having a large section in my archives devoted to his output. Having been a long-time fan of Schulze’s work I was thrilled to receive his remix of Chrysta Bell’s This Train the title track of her current album produced by David Lynch. The track is being hailed as Mr.S’s “first ever remix” although to my ears it sounds like classic Schulze not unlike some of the valued treasures in my archives…and that is a compliment indeed. The track can be downloaded from Burn Studios who are also running a remix contest for The Truth Is another track from her album, details available here. Don’t forget to send us your efforts too. Enjoy looking forward.

LE Mix #136

Luca C & Brigante feat. Ali Love - Different Morals (Clockwork Remix)
Wintercoats - Forest Of Lovers (Southern Shores Remix)
Dark Sky - Standoff
NZCA/LINES - Okinawa Channels
Emil Jensen & Familjen - Nyår
Young Heel - Trouble's At The Top
Clams Casino - Drowning
Julianna Barwick - Prizewinning (Prince Rama remix)
Dot Allison - I Wanna Break Your Heart feat. Pete Doherty
Chrysta Bell - This Train (Klaus Schulze remix) (from This Train produced by David Lynch)

Image: “New Day, New Year, Windermere, UK” 1.10.2009

Some Answers.

A: No matter how slight, it has to touch me in some way. People often tell me “Electronic music is devoid of soul, of feeling”, not true unless a computer actually composed and played the piece there has to a be human involvement. Even in the most extreme circumstances a human turns the power on or at least built the machine and designed the possible output. And we humans cannot help ourselves from peeing on our territory no matter how cool we think it is to be detached.

A: As much as possible, everyday. There’s no set time limit.

A: Because I can’t trust that they will always be relevant. I have editorial control over the music I select. Likewise I cannot be sure their verbiage and pictorial content will be consistent or at least worth the time to visit.

A: Usually I can determine by the first few bars. Often I only listen to a whole new track as I’m putting together a Mix.

A: No! I just happen to believe there is so much great music not getting exposed. It’s really not that different to my early days in radio…pushing against the formats. Even today with Soundcloud and Bandcamp etc there still remains masses of new music being unheard by legions of listeners.

A: The genres and sub-genres have driven the unsophisticated listener even further into the arms of iTunes, Spotify, Pandora et al. Where the maximum remains: Think less – Buy more”.

A: Everything has its place but I will admit to becoming somewhat less enthusiastic with bedroom-laptop-doodling featuring pitched samples from rare Soul 45’s.

A: It goes in cycles but a “back to basics” with real instruments will come to the fore in the mainstream and true “Lovers Rock” will make a return.

A: Good question! People who value my selection and trust my taste.

LE Mix #135

Magnum - All Over Me (Monster Playground Remix)
New Savages - Dive Out Loud (Oxycodone Mix)
DJ Khaled - I'm On One (Unicorn Kid Stadium mix)
TreeFNGR - Fine Fright
Per Byhring - Mr. Wednesday
Stay Ali - Loner
Anthony Rother - Thermal Tune
Tip Toes - Indecisions
Nocow - Sever Ties
Innergaze - Way of Life
Synkro - Presence

Image: “NB” photo by Ms. P 1.2010

So That Was Christmas.

It was late on Christmas Eve, I’d just returned from a pleasant low-key evening with friends. As I leisurely prepared for bed, and hopefully a peaceful night’s sleep I pondered on the big day ahead. I was cooking a traditional British Christmas dinner for a house-full of guests and my carefully calculated preparation schedule needed going over yet one more time…don’t boil the soup too early, watch it often to make sure it doesn’t reduce down to sludge…the Yorkshire pudding’s timing is crucial...a floppy Yorkshire pud is er..um...useless…check the temperature of the roast, nice 'n' rare please…what if no one likes Christmas pudding…should I bake an apple pie instead? Then that little burp noise went on Skype announcing someone was online wanting to chat with me. It was Mr. A, who was thoughtfully sending me more files of rarities and bootlegs from his extraordinary collection. We settled into musing on about how the Grande Dame of Rock ‘n’ Roll sounded “so" inebriated or high or both as he mumbled away between songs on these recordings. This led us down that well-worn path of why some music and musicians sound so good when on the edge…walking that very thin line between absolute disaster and sheer brilliance. It was after we finished talking I realized I was now wide awake and decided to make an LE Mix comprised solely of music that sits atop of that wobbly and precarious perch. OK, I have no way of reliably knowing if all of these tracks were recorded under the influence but I can quite comfortably attest to the fact that a large proportion were.

So Christmas Day, then Boxing Day arrived and vanished almost without a trace if you happened to be struggling through the crowded shops today. Given all that has transpired in my neck of the woods in the past twelve months a little melancholy, possibly reflective music seems in order with or without the aid of booze or drugs or whatever you use to relieve the pain. Enjoy smiling.

LE Mix # 134

Les Stones – You Gotta Move (from: “Live’r Than You’ll Ever Be”)
Les Stones – Love In Vain (from: “Get Your Leeds Lungs Out”)
England's Glory - Bright Lights
Derek and the Dominos - (When Things Go Wrong) It Hurts Me Too (Jam) (from: “The Layla Sessions - Alternate Masters, Jams And Outtakes”)
Johnny Thunders - So Alone
Dillard & Clark - Don't Let Me Down
Lonesome Ghost - My Dear
Sunday Girl - Where Is My Mind? (The Pixies cover)
Daughter - Youth
This Mess Is Mine - Thief
Wooden Wand - Tiny Confessions
Nikki Sudden - The Last Bandit

Image: “Christmas Eve at our house” 12.24.2011