92º... The Incredible P.W.E.I. Vs. Dirty Harry

Another fine slab of musicality from Stourbridge's finest, and like other posts here, taken from the excellent Cure For Sanity.

All three tracks stand up to scrutiny, with The Incredible P.W.E.I. Vs. Dirty Harry particularly liable to induce dubbed-out foot-tapping.

Flood is credited with original production for tracks 1 and 2, and the remix for both these tracks are down to the prolific Boilerhouse.

1. 92º Boilerhouse (The Birth Mix)
2. 92º Boilerhouse (The Birth, The Death Mix)
3. The Incredible P.W.E.I. Vs. Dirty Harry

Go on, make your day. You know you want to...

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Landing Party

Reminded of Radical Dance Faction by Roy Rocket's recent post, and as a result just ripped this from vinyl.

Have to admit when I first got my USB turntable, two R.D.F. albums found their way onto it fairly quickly, Borderline Cases and Wasteland. Sadly, at the time these turned out to be in the "nostalgia's not what it used to be" category, so never bothered with this 12".

Maybe I shouldn't have been so hasty. This actually stands up pretty well, once you've got used to Chris Bowsher's style, and are feeling receptive to the political/social overtones.

Gary Clail sounds like Maggie compared to this...

A1 Landing Party

B1 Landing Party (Short Version)
B2 Riverwise II

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Escape

The last of the Clail triumvirate, and a fine way to round things off it is too.

Escape is not a straight lift off The Emotional Hooligan, as it's nearly a minute shorter. Sounds like they simply faded out the album version at around 3:30. What a strange decision.

Thankfully, Escape (On The Mix) redeems this miserliness, and things are rounded off solidly by False Leader (Parts 1 & 2), featuring the ever popular Marcus Garvey Dread sample from Big Youth's Dreadlocks Dread.

1 Escape
2 Escape (On The Mix)
3 False Leader (Parts 1 & 2)

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Oxfordshire Market Town Defies Expectations...

I wouldn't normally look to bore anyone with the minutiae of my life, but today was such a surprise I'm willing to break my self-imposed rule on this.

Picture the scene: a sleepy Oxfordshire market town; I'm there to complete some tedious shopping (personal hygiene products etc.); the weather is unseasonably warm.

On the off-chance, I venture into a well known charity shop. I've been here before, and the audio items on offer have been the normal uninspiring candidates: Westlife, S Club 7, Kylie etc. etc.

On this occasion, however, things are different. At the front of the normally piss-poor collection of CD's is Lionrock's Carnival - I've been looking for this for ages, both on-line and in the real world. Next I discover Tripwire by the same esteemed artists. My pulse quickens (such is the banality of my life).

It becomes clear that someone's collection of early 90's CD singles has somehow ended up here. They are either a music lover who has lost the faith, or whose other half has chosen to punish them for unknown misdemeanours.

No one gives this stuff away, at least not if they are in their right mind. Here's my haul in full:

Gary Clail & On-U Sound System:

Escape
These Things Are Worth Fighting For
These Things Are Worth Fighting For (Justin Robertson Remix)

Leftfield:

The Afro Left E.P.

Lionrock:

Tripwire
Carnival

Pop Will Eat Itself:

Karmadrome
Bulletproof!

Sheep On Drugs:

TV USA
Track X E.P.
Motorbike/Mary Jane

System 7:

Habibi

Once I've burned them, and worked out what's not been posted before (or is available to purchase) I'll share my good fortune.

Charity's never been so good...

The Head E.P. Volume 1

Embarrassingly, I think I bought this as much for the names of the artist and the E.P. than anything else.

Never heard anything before or since by Dub Collective, and would be interested in hearing the other Head E.P.'s, as hearing this again was definitely nostalgic.

Of the four, Bongo Burial's the one that does it for me, like the hypnotic bass line...

A1 Death By Dub
A2 Bongo Burial

B1 Re-Energized
B2 The Light

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Re-Post Requests...

As per usual, I've been utterly rubbish at regularly posting (normal excuses apply - work, family, indolence, etc.).

Will try to put that right in the next week or two, but as a starter thought I'd re-post the following:

• Shut Up & Dance - Death Is Not The End
• SL2 - On A Ragga Tip
• SL2 - Way In My Brain (Remix)/Drumbeats
• Various - XL Recordings - The Third Chapter

Follow the links to the original posts, and the download links should now work again.

Human Nature 12"

What a cracking tune.

From the Emotional Hooligan album, his most consistent product along with End Of The Century Party.

As a bonus, you get to enjoy Bim Sherman's dulcet tones on Rumours.

A1 Human Nature (On The Mix)

B1 Rumours

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The Emotional Hooligan (Promo) 12"

Simply a great track, off a great album.

As a Dub Syndicate stalwart, I view this is the very lovable red-headed step-child of a collaboration; the album reverberates with Style and co.'s quality. Melded with Clail's left-leaning Bristolian-accented lyrics, still makes me smile 16 years later.

This 12", which teems with surreal dog bark samples, is irresistible. I defy anyone not to find their lower limbs at least twitching to this:

A1. The Emotional Hooligan

B1. Crocodile Eyes
B2. The Emotional Hooligan (Dub Wize Mix)

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Death Is Not The End

Having heard Green Man (Rum & Black Mix) on XL Recordings: The Third Chapter, and in various other remixes in clubs etc., it was with some confusion that I contemplated this CD whilst standing in yet another charity shop.

The reason for this confusion? I did not have my iPod with me, so I was not sure if this was the Shut Up & Dance that I thought it was; this combined with the odd album title, even odder cover artwork, and even odder still the inner sleeve shot (see below) which made me think that this could be some sort of jazz-funk nightmare or the like.



Having taken the chance, I'm glad I did because:

a) They are the Shut Up & Dance I thought they were.
b) It's a really interesting mix of dance, rap and hard to describe music.

It's hard to pick out favourites here because it's so eclectic, so it depends on what mood you're in. So, based on my mood at the time of posting, I'd recommend Here Comes A Different Type Of Rap Track, Not The Usual 4 Bar Loop Crap and Down The Barrel Of A Gun.

Java Bass will suit you whatever your state of mind, great bass line...

1. Death Is Not The End
2. Raving I'm Raving (Remix)
3. Autobiography Of A Crackhead (Acoustic Version)
4. Cape Fear
5. Here Comes A Different Type Of Rap Track, Not The Usual 4 Bar Loop Crap
6. The Green Man
7. Java Bass
8. So What You Smoking?
9. Runaways
10. Blue Colour Climax
11. Pure White Black Life
12. The Art Of Moving Butts
13. Down The Barrel Of A Gun
14. My C-Lab Crashed & Did This

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Catch-22

Following on from my (all too delayed) Live At The Brain posts, and Dalston Shopper's kind comments, thought I'd continue in a similar vein, at least for the time being.

I think I went on a bit of a mission at the Record & Tape Exchange after I discovered the two Live At The Brain albums, as I seem to have amassed a number of 12"'s by artists that were on them. For some reason, my memory of these purchases seems to be mysteriously vague...

Anyhow, to this end, see below for a Sheep On Drugs 12", which isn't at all bad. Actually, it's pretty damn good, though sadly it does not quite reach the heights of Out Come The Freaks:

A1 Catch-22

B1 Drug Music

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Live At The Brain 2

Hot(ish) on the heels of Live At The Brain, here's the second (and last) in the series.

To my mind, this is not quite as polished overall as the first, but Out Come The Freaks and Triangle are excellent.

A1 Container (Nexus 21)
A2 Out Come The Freaks (Sheep On Drugs)
A3 JP233 (Hi-Ryze)
A4 Robotu Okoku (Man Machine)

B1 British Summertime (Ultramarine)
B2 Triangle (The Purple Room)
B3 Sbassed (Lunarci)
B4 Kersnipp (Doi-Oing)

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Live At The Brain

Well, at long last as promised, here's Live At The Brain. Having finally got my USB turntable (a Numark TTUSB, which I have to say I am very impressed with), it has to be said that I am gazing at my old vinyl longingly... I had expected a certain frisson, but not quite this level of anticipation.

For me the stand out tracks on this one are Inflating Plastic Explodable and Massif. Enjoy...

A1 Inflating Plastic Explodable (Mr. Monday)
A2 My Body Like Heaven (Funtopia)
A3 8 Track Mind (Eye)
A4 Son Of Chime (Orbital)

B1 Massif (Ramjac)
B2 Saturday's Angels (Technoed Up By Mr. Monday) (If?)
B3 Attack (11 Wardour St. Mix) (Audio One)
B4 You (Bliss)

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