Give a Damn

After the racist murders in Antwerp, a couple of weeks ago, some students made a special song to commemorate the occasion. They had a little jazz group called Patricks’s Hot Sugar Juice and in one afternoon they recorded a single at school. The benefits are meant to go to an organization for the protection of children’s rights.
They ask everyone who cares to give some publicity to this initiative. They supplied a version of the song at a low bitrate. A genuine version can be obtained at their website.

Luna On My Mind

Sad Old Men

...................After the High the Low

My hair is getting a little bit gray at the side. That’s no worry because it’s been like that for more than 10 years now, ever since I turned 21 but nevertheless, sometimes it makes me feel like a sad old man… at such moments it’s comforting to listen to some Sad Old Men who carry the load of the world and experience that it’s not that bad after all.

I’m a fan of David Sylvian [remember Japan, he used to have a fake föhned blond hairdo like all the big rock stars of the era but also a great voice] the hairdo has gone or dim but the voice remained. A dark sad melancholic tenor with a sparkle of light and a glance of hope to set the balance. He gathered a group of people to form a band called Nine Horses and released an album this year called Snow borne Sorrow.

Nine Horses (David Sylvian + Nina Nordenstam) - Wonderful world [Snow borne Sorrow 2006]

Daníel Ágúst is a member of GusGus, a Scandinavian electropop collective. He turned solo I guess or did a side project of some sort and released an album called Swallowed a Star. He’s touring around Europe to promote the album and got invited at the last edition of De Nachten at De Singel in Antwerp. That’s where I saw him perform this music with a little string quartet. It’s quite different from the music of GusGus. It’s very appropriate for the type of weather we’re having right now [and for my hair].

Daníel Ágúst – The Gray [Swallowed a Star 2005]

And last a song with a very appropriate title: Closing Titles by Tindersticks. A unique band if you ask me. You either love them or hate them. The singer’s voice tend to get unto some people’s nerves. I have to admit that I can’t always listen to it. Only when I’m in the right mood... What kind of mood if you hear a song like Closing Titles? This is definitely one of my all time favorite songs. I find it very comforting and I can imagine that some people would want to play it at their or anybody’s funeral.

Tindersticks – Closing Titles [Trouble Every Day OST 2002]

Pauline et Paulette

Just, for no reason at all... apart from the fact that my mother looks a bit like Paulette in the movie en my sister’s daughter is called Pauline and the music is simply gorgeous. What more do you want?

Docteur Nico & Orchestra African Feiste - Pauline [Golden Afrique Vol. 2 2006]

Balla et Ses Balladins - Paulette [Golden Afrique Vol. 1 2005]

Sonderangebot

Hi there folks! Because of the last post about Barbara Morgenstern and the simple fact that Miss Kittin is playing at Petrol tonight , I was getting aware of some kind of theme there…

Today’s post is about leading ladies in dance music [who happen to speak German - Miss Kittin is actually French but she lives in Berlin though -]… Ellen Allien, Miss Kittin, Barbara Morgenstern, Ada,… I like all of their music.

Ellen Allien is making music and playing dj for many years now. For me she’s a kind of reference - what German dance music is concerned - and well wouldn’t you know… she has a new record out this year in collaboration with Apparat called Orchestra of Bubbels. It’s featured in many top 10 lists and will probably popup again in some final end lists as one of the best albums of the year.

Ada is maybe unfamiliar but I saw her spin records at the fuse last year and she’s just great. She has a record out called Blondie, also from last year.

Miss kittin still has a great summermix2005 on her site. Check it out under HEAR ME at http://www.misskittin.com/

Miss Kittin – I.com
Favourite remix (got a lot of airplay on Stubru radio) and song of the album.

Happy Violentine (Marco Passaranis San Valentino mix)
Kiss Factory

Ellen Allien
3 albums. Thrills is strictly dancefloor, the other 2 are more radiofriendly.

Cloudy City

Funkenflug Der Träume [2001 - Stadtkind]
Wolken Ziehen [2001 - Stadtkind]
Data Romance [2001 - Stadtkind]

Stadtkind (Barbara Morgenstern remix)

Alles Sehen [2003 - Berlinette]
Sehnsucht [2003- Berlinette]
Wish [2003 - Berlinette]
Abstract Pictures [2003 - Berlinette]

Your Body Is My Body [2005 - Thrills]
Naked Rain [2005 - Thrills]
Ghost Train [2005 - Thrills]
She Is With Me [2005 - Thrills]

Ellen Allien + Apparat
50/50 match of Ellen Allien and Apparat but 200% outcome.

Turbo Dreams
Way Out
Jet
Do Not Break

Ada - Blondie
Take your time to listen to these tracks because they intend to evolve slowly but nicely into varies directions and moods.

Eve
Blindhouse (each and everyone) - yes an EBTHG cover
Our Love never Dies

Next time, I promise, no more dance music :-) but I’m just in a dancing mood … blame it on the weather.

Barbara Morgenstern 13.05.06

One of my favourite electronic albums of last year was Tesri, a collaboration between Barbara Morgenstern and Robert Lippok from To Rococo Rot. I only knew Barbara Morgenstern from remixes she did for other people but that album was reason enough to go and see her play live at Petrol as a opener for DAAU.
She’s doing a promotion tour for her new album The Grass is always Greener. While she’s best known for makin’ electronic music her new album is largely made up of acoustic songs, a kind of up tempo piano ballads. I could say that what comes close is someone like An Pierlé, only this time in German. Her songs work well live because of the enthusiasm with which she delivers her songs but on the album they are a bit flat, more like sketches. But still, there are a couple of great acoustic/electronic tracks on it that make it still worth while.

Tesri

Please Wake Me For Meals + Sommer

Grass is always Greener

Die Japanische Schranke + Quality Time

The Urge to fly

As a kind of alternative Eurovision contest, some rare grooves from one of my favourite compilation albums The Urge - volume 1 from 2002. I'm still waiting for volume 2.

Ocells del Més enllà (part II) - Jordi Sabatés [Spain 1977]

Turtle Soup - Chakachas [Belgium 1973]

Casa Forte - Isabelle Aubret [France 1971]

If you guess that most of this sounds very Brazilian than you're right. But than again, the world championship soccer is coming soon. You may guess again which team I'm going to support.

Il tempo viene per chi sa aspettare

Yes... all things come to those who wait. Hi, it's been a while. I've been really busy workin’, being ill (damn cold weather and airco) and abroad but now I’m back on track. I found out that some links were dead. Sendspace is very handy for uploads but apparently not reliable for downloads. Box is easy for downloads but a painstakingly endeavour for uploads. Anyway, I fixed the dead links and replaced them with better ones.
So because of all this fixin’ about I had no proper time for new ones. But I will not leave you empty handed and give you these handsome Scandinavian blokes who play Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse of the Heart.
They are Norway's most famous kitchen appliance band and I like their crazy stuff. If you want more of it, they have an Official Site and you can follow some hilarious mockumentary adventures on their present American tour right here (beware this is an actual Ford ad).
All of a sudden that group Lordi from Finland isn't that strange anymore. Lack of sunshine can do strange things to ya so come and meet Hurra Torpedo.