Jun 25, 2008

Eight-X (37)

Hello, Eight-X and more eighties vinyl coming up. The first band wasn't very clever coming up with a geriatric name like Music For Pleasure, music for money lads, or music for a future ..to prod them punks a little.. it didn't happen for them, by 82 /83 the market became flooded by major labels pushing their bands against the independents. Into The Rain, again an odd choice for a title, it did get a successful producer, so the resulting synth wave certainly didn't disappoint...How time flies, its been 15 weeks already since i posted Thomas Dolby debut album, his quality follow-up here seemed to establish him as a new force in synth pop, but productionwork and filmscores derailed that career...Finally a band taking their name from the answer to the universe and everything ..42 (HitchHikersGuide To The Galaxy), i picked up Level Best a few weeks ago and i thought i'd share it with you'll...

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Music For Pleasure - Into The Rain (82 ^84mb)

Founded in Leeds circa 1979 by Mark Copson (Vocals), David Whitaker (Keyboards), Martin King (Bass) and Christopher Oldroyd (Drums). (Obviously) influenced by the punk scene, Krautrock and sounding very "new wave-ish" they went on to release a couple of singles on the Rage label.
In 1982 they signed a contract with Polydor (Martin King was replaced by Ivor Roberts) and released their first Lp "Into The Rain", great synth wave/pop, produced by legendary Mike Hedges. "Blacklands". was releassed the following year, meanwhile Polydor lost interest and dropped them. Music For Pleasure went on to release some records on their own label called Whirlpool, before disbanding in 1985. Mark Copson and David Whitaker have been involved with The Danse Society (circa '86), and drummer Christopher Oldroyd appeared on Red Lorry Yellow Lorry's "Paint The Wagon"



01 - Light (3:34)
02 - Switchback (3:23)
03 - Nostalgia (3:18)
04 - Time (3:27)
05 - New Day (5:18)

06 - Lost Detail (3:07)
07 - Winterscene (3:24)
08 - Aim To Life (2:58)
09 - Warehouse (2:53)
10 - Underworld (5:01)

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Thomas Dolby - The Flat Earth (84   rem,exp 09  459mb)

Thomas Dolby (born Thomas Morgan Robertson, on 14 October 1958) is an English musician, producer, and inventor. Thomas was father, Martin Robertson, was an internationally-distinguished professor of classical Greek art and archaeology at the University of London and Oxford University, and in his youth Thomas lived or worked in Greece and France. Thomas married actress Kathleen Beller in 1988; the couple have three children together.
Dolby's interest in music arose through his interest in computers, electronics and synthesizers. He originally attended college to study meteorology, but he was soon side-tracked by electronics, specifically musical equipment. He began building his own synthesizers when he was 18 years old. Around the same time, he began to learn how to play guitar and piano, as well as how to program computers. The "Dolby" nickname comes from the name Dolby Laboratories, and was given to him by school friends due to his seemingly inseparable relationship with his cassette machine. Dolby Laboratories tried to stop him from using the name Dolby entirely. Eventually, the case was settled out of court and it was agreed that he would refrain from using the word Dolby in any context other than with the name Thomas.

In his late teens, Dolby was hired as a touring sound engineer for a variety of post-punk bands, including the Fall, the Passions and the Members; on these dates, he would use a PA system he had built himself. In 1979, he formed the arty post-punk band Camera Club with Bruce Woolley, Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes and Matthew Seligman. Within a year, he had left the group and joined Lene Lovich's backing band. Dolby gave Lovich his song "New Toy," which became a British hit in 1981. That same year, he released his first solo single, "Urges," on the English independent label Armageddon. By the fall, he had signed with Parlophone and released "Europa and the Pirate Twins." Dolby started playing synthesizer on sessions for other artists in 1982. He wrote and produced "Magic's Wand" for Whodini; the single became one of the first million-selling rap singles. Even with all of these achievements, 1982 was most noteworthy for the release of Dolby's first solo album, The Golden Age of Wireless, in the summer of 1982; the record reached number 13 in England, while it was virtually forgotten in America. "Windpower," the first single from the record, became his first Top 40 UK hit .

Dolby's second album, The Flat Earth holds up considerably well since its 1984 release. This staying power belongs to a fantastic ensemble of supporting players as much as to Dolby's songwriting and crisp production. The album was supported by the single "Hyperactive." The single became his biggest UK hit. Though The Flat Earth did relativly well in the US , Dolby's momentum was already beginning to slow -- none of the singles released from the album cracked the American Top 40. Nevertheless, Dolby was in demand as a collaborator and he worked with Herbie Hancock, Howard Jones, Stevie Wonder, George Clinton, and Dusty Springfield. During 1985, he produced Clinton's Some of My Best Jokes Are Friends, Prefab Sprout's Steve McQueen (Two Wheels Good in the US), and Joni Mitchell's Dog Eat Dog, as well as supporting David Bowie at Live Aid. Also in 1985, he began composing film scores, starting with Fever Pitch. In 1986, he composed the scores for Gothic and Howard the Duck, to which he credited himself as Dolby's Cube. Aliens Ate My Buick, Dolby's long-delayed third album, appeared in 1988 to poor reviews and weak sales, even though the single "Airhead" became a minor British hit.

For the rest of the late '80s and early '90s, Dolby continued to score films, producing and he began building his own computer equipment. His fourth album, Astronauts & Heretics, was released in 1992 on his new label, Giant the album was a flop. The following year, Dolby founded the computer software company Headspace, which released The Virtual String Quartet as its first program. For the rest of the '90s, Headspace occupied most of Dolby's time and energy. In 1994, he released The Gate to the Mind's Eye, a soundtrack to the videotape Mind's Eye. Also that year, Capitol released the greatest-hits collection, Retrospectacle.



01 Dissidents (4:57)
02 The Flat Earth (6:41)
03 Screen Kiss (5:33)
04 White City (5:20)
05 Mulu The Rain Forest (5:00)
06 I Scare Myself (5:36)
07 Hyperactive! (4:14)
Bonus
08 Get Out Of My Mix 4:44
09 Puppet Theatre 4:14
10 Dissidents (The Search For Truth Part 1) 7:17
11 Field Work with Ryuichi Sakamoto (London Mix) 4:05
12 Don't Turn Away 5:03
13 The Devil Is An Englishman 3:30
14 I Scare Myself (Live On Tour, 1984) 6:17
15 Marseille (Live On Tour, 1984) 4:41

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Level 42 - Level Best ( 89 * 503mb)

Before Phil Gould, Mark King and Wally Badarou were members of the pop band M, during 1979. Level 42 was formed in 1980 as a jazz-funk fusion band. The Gould brothers, drummer Phil and guitarist Boon, together with then drummer Mark King all came from the Isle of Wight and had played together in various bands during their teenage years. Initially the band was signed to a small independent record label, Elite Records, after being seen jamming together. Shortly after they released the single "Love Meeting Love", they came to the attention of Polydor Records and signed to them. One of the performers on that track, renowed synthesiser / instrumental keyboardist Wally Badarou, would later become Level 42's longtime co-producer and although he only ever played in the studio with them, he was known as the band's unofficial "fifth member".

In 1981 they released "Love Games", a top 40 hit. They then cut their critically acclaimed, self-titled debut album. This became an immediate success throughout Europe. The following year, a second album The Pursuit of Accidents was made, and singles from the album, first "Weave Your Spell" and then "The Chinese Way" were released, both charting. The album went on to become a huge seller. In between, Polydor released The Early Tapes, recorded in the early days of the band when they were signed to the Elite label. A fourth album Standing in the Light generated their first top ten hit in the UK in 1983, "The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up)". This album debuted a new era for the band, less experimental and jazzy than previous releases. The quartet followed that with the album True Colours in 1984, which veered between funk, power pop, midtempo rock and moody ballads. It yielded the singles "The Chant Has Begun" and "Hot Water"

Released in late 1985, World Machine broke the band worldwide; "Lessons in Love" hit number one in Britain and "Something About You" hit number seven in America. Their next two records, Running in the Family became their biggest seller, reaching the top five in numerous countries, and cemented this poppy musical direction, with King's bass and Lindup and Badarou's chugging keyboards, it made little headway in the U.S. Both of the Gould brothers left the band in late 1987, exhausted and dissatisfied with the musical direction the band had taken. They were replaced by guitarist Alan Murphy and drummer Gary Husband. Murphy died of AIDS-related diseases in 1989. During the early 1990s, the group tried to blend more of their earlier influences, into their sound and Husband asked Allan Holdsworth to provide some guitar work for the album Guaranteed. Though well-received, especially by US music critics, many of their jazz-funk fans did not like the set's mostly progressive / rock-oriented style, and meanwhile the pop music scene in the UK had moved in a different direction. 1994's Forever Now album marked the return of Phil Gould (as studio drummer and principal lyricist), the album saw the group move closer to its R&B-jazz roots. Alas, the fruitful (part) reunion was short-lived and musicians had to be sought for the live -tour which fell apart halfway as Level 42 disbanded.

Mark King went on and formed his own band, increasingly King and his band were playing more and more Level 42 tracks, so in late 2001, King came to a business agreement with Mike Lindup for the rights to the name Level 42 (Lindup agreed to play on future albums, but did not want to tour). A new album, Retroglide was announced in February 2006 with a supporting tour, chiefly recorded by King and co-written by Boon Gould. It also has some contributions from Mike Lindup on keyboards/vocals, May 2006, just prior to the start of the tour in October, it was announced that Mike Lindup would return full time on keyboards.

Level Best is a thorough overview of the smooth, jazzy sophisti-pop outfit, containing all of their biggest hits and best material, it's as comprehensive a summary of Level 42's career as could be hoped.



01 - Running In The Family (3:53)
02 - The Sun Goes Down (3:40)
03 - Something About You (3:39)
04 - Tracie (3:20)
05 - Starchild (3:47)
06 - It's Over (4:32)
07 - Hot Water (3:31)

08 - Take Care Of Yourself (4:28)
09 - Heaven In My Hands (4:03)
10 - Children Say (4:17)
11 - Love Games (4:21)
12 - The Chinese Way (3:52)
13 - Leaving Me Now (3:27)
14 - Lessons In Love (3:53)

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All downloads are in * ogg-7 (224k) or ^ ogg-9(320k), artwork is included , if in need get the nifty ogg encoder/decoder here !

Jun 24, 2008

Around the World (37)

Hello, Around the World music leaves the classics behind, i hope you got something from it...Summer has come last Saturday , why not have some reggae again...or in this case.. Reggae/Dub from a man who wanted to do some of his own writing and make something that was challenging for him. This here is his 2nd solo album, Becoming A Cliché it came with a limited edition Dub Cliché bonus, which btw has plenty going for it to stand on it's own.  Indeed Adrian Maxwell Sherwood is up On-U....
 
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Adrian Sherwood and his famed On-U Sound label pioneered a distinctive fusion of dub, rock and dance which made waves not only in roots circles but also in the pop mainstream. Born in 1958, Sherwood first surfaced during the late '70s at the helm of a series of disastrously short-lived labels; he formed On-U Sound in 1979, counting Creation Rebel, Prince Far I, Bim Sherman, and the Mothmen (later to form Simply Red) among the roster's earliest additions. While the On-U Sound crew's original focus was on live sound system performances, the emphasis soon switched to making records; when none emerged as a breakout success, Sherwood began mixing and matching line-ups, resulting in new acts including New Age Steppers, African Head Charge, Mark Stewart & Maffia and Dr. Pablo & the Dub Syndicate.

Sherwood's distinctive production style soon began attracting interest from acts outside of the dub community, but reggae remained the label's focus. In 1984, while working for US label Tommy Boy (remixing) , he met Keith LeBlanc, after a productive meeting, McDonald and Wimbish later joined them in London, to begin work on a new project which they christened, Fats Comet. LeBlanc's beat, pitched with Sherwood's dub methodology, taken it to the limit created a unique media where the heavily distorted sound of McDonald s guitar and Wimbish's funky bass made things complete. Sherwood soon recruited the onetime house band at the famed rap label Sugar Hill, the trio brought new power and definition to the On-U's densely-textured recordings. Not only as a band (Fats Comet, Tackhead, Strange Parcels and Little Axe) but as On U studio musicians aswell.

By the mid-1980s, Sherwood was among the most visible producers and remixers in all of contemporary music. He became increasingly involved in industrial music as the decade wore on, producing tracks for Cabaret Voltaire, Skinny Puppy, KMFDM and Nine Inch Nails, and although On-U Sound continued to reflect its leader's eclectic tastes the label remained a top reggae outlet. In 1994, Sherwood mounted Pressure Sounds, a new label dedicated to reissuing seminal reggae and dub releases from the likes of Lee "Scratch" Perry, King Tubby, Augustus Pablo, Jackie Mittoo and Horace Andy. 1997 also saw the first in a new series of reissues known collectively as the On-U Sound Master Recordings, complete with CD-ROM tracks.

The On-U vibe was democratic, leftfield, determinedly non-materialistic and unashamedly idealistic. With it, Sherwood created a niche. "It gave us an identity among like-minded people," he offers. "Anything with the On-U tag on it will sell a few thousand copies around the world, to people who know that we"ve been true to our spirit of making things. The legacy of his use of technology, particularly the then unheard of use of ambience and delay, is evident to anyone familiar with today"s club scene.

the master at work

Adrian Sherwood RBMA video lecture session Pt.1

Adrian Sherwood RBMA video lecture session Pt.2

Productions page at Rho-Xs , discover Sherwoods Forest, here .

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Adrian Sherwood - Becoming A Cliché / Dub Cliché ( 06, 120min ^ 249mb)

It's taken him long to finally release an album under his own name. It's a much more vocal record than his debut solo effort, 2003's Never Trust a Hippy( as in babyboomer) . On Becoming A Cliché he expands his musical horizons, keeping most of his grooves in an adventurously dubwise but still deeply rootsy reggae-funk vein while promiscuously incorporating any other musical tradition that happens to strike his fancy at the same time. Being the modest man that he is he kind off showcases some new talent, like the multi-talented French-Tunisian singer/songwriter Samia Farah whose paintings and design provides the artwork for ‘Cliché’ aswell. This is an album where Gregorian chants meet melodica solos, where cinema soundtrack samples collide with analogue distortion, it's an exuberant mixture from a true sonic pioneer, one that serves as a thrilling reminder of the possibilities of reggae in the 21st century.



Adrian Sherwood - Becoming A Cliché ( ^ 149mb)

01 - Animal Magic (Voc.Lee Perry) (4:20)
02 - Two Versions Of The Future (3:57)
03 - A Piece Of The Earth (Voc.Little Roy)(5:25)
04 - Monastery Of Sound (4:53)
05 - Dennis Bovine Part 1 (Tribute To Blackbeard) (Voc.Dennis Bovell ) (4:55)
06 - J'Ai Changé (Voc.Samia Farah) (5:35)
07 - You Wonder Why (Voc.LSK Kenny) (5:21)
08 - The House Of Games (4:40)
09 - Nu Rizla (Voc.Bim Sherman) (4:29)
10 - St Peter's Gate (Voc.LSK Kenny) (5:33)
11 - Home Sweet Home ( Voc. Mark Stewart) (4:34)
12 - Forgive Yourself (3:41)
13 - All Hands On Desk (3:59)
14 - Stop The Bloodshed (Voc.Raiz)(5:30)

diet version
Adrian Sherwood - Becoming A Cliché (* 99mb)



Adrian Sherwood - Dub Cliché ( ^ 99mb)

2-01 - Monkey See, Monkey Dub (4:02)
2-02 - Dubshed (Voc. Dennis Alcapone) (4:44)
2-03 - Zoo Time (4:31)
2-04 - Clichéd Dub Slave (Voc.Dennis Bovell ) (3:52)
2-05 - The Noise From Brazil (4:41)
2-06 - Stepping Crowd (5:06)
2-07 - Sans Toupee (3:58)
2-08 - Silly Billy Remix By Activator (Voc. Simon Bogle) (4:41)
2-09 - Moving House (5:15)
2-10 - J'Ai Dubé (3:58)
2-11 - Dennis Bovine Pt 2 (Voc.Dennis Bovell ) (3:59)
2-12 - Silly Old Dub (4:29)

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All downloads are in * ogg-7 (224k) or ^ ogg-9(320k), artwork is included , if in need get the nifty ogg encoder/decoder here !

Jun 23, 2008

Aldous Huxley (1)

Hello, next up more classic sci-fi, 75 years after the book was written , nevertheless a rather contemporary futuristic vision im afraid..Coming weeks more on Aldous Huxley and his works, today with part 1 of an adaptation of his frightning Brave New World...aswell as the full text of the novel.

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Aldous Huxley was born in 1894 in England to two very aristocratic parents, Leonard and Julia Huxley. Huxley’s family possessed both scientific and literary fame throughout Europe. Indeed young Aldous had much to live up to. As a teenager, Huxley was enrolled in Eton, the legendary university. Soon he developed a bizarre eye disease which left him blind for over two years. Needless to say, this event dramatically changed Huxley, who decided to be a writer instead of a medical doctor. He reminisces, "...I should infallibly have killed myself in the much more strenuous profession of medicine." However, Huxley was no stranger to work, even in the literary world. The great author had an incredibly productive writing career for nearly four decades, concluding at the time of his death in November of 1963.

Brave New World

Aldous Huxley wrote Brave New World in 1932 while he was living in France and England (a British writer, he moved to California in 1937). By this time, Huxley had already established himself as a writer and social satirist. He was a contributor to Vanity Fair and Vogue magazines, had published a collection of his poetry (The Burning Wheel, 1916) and four successful satirical novels: Crome Yellow in 1921, Antic Hay in 1923, Those Barren Leaves in 1925 and Point Counter Point in 1928. Brave New World was Huxley's fifth novel and first attempt at a dystopian work.

The world the novel describes is a dystopia, presented satirically: humanity lives in a carefree, healthy, and technologically advanced society; however, art, science, religion, and all other forms of human expression have been sacrificed to create this "Brave New World". Warfare and poverty have been eliminated and everyone is permanently happy due to government-provided conditioning and drugs. The irony is that all of these things have been achieved by eliminating many things that humans consider to be central to their identity - family, culture, art, literature, science, religion (other than idolization of "our Ford", Henry Ford, who is seen as the father of their society), and philosophy. It is also a hedonistic society, deriving pleasure from promiscuous sex and drug use, in the form of soma, a powerful psychotropic rationed by the government that is taken to escape pain and bad memories through hallucinatory fantasies, referred to as "Holidays".

Huxley was able to use the setting and characters from his futuristic fantasy to express widely held opinions, particularly the fear of losing individual identity in the fast-paced world of the future. An early trip to the United States gave Brave New World much of its character.

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"Brave New World" was originally broadcast as the series premiere, in two parts, on January 27 and February 3rd, 1956. Aldous Huxley himself narrated this hour long adaptation of his dystopic novel of a quickly nearing future in which society manufactures babies for specific roles in life and people control and mellow their experience with the drug Soma.... The government uses technology and science, not threats and bribes, to control its population.



Aldous Huxley - Brave New World Pt 1 (23mb)


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Some quotations by Aldous Huxley...


"We are in process of developing a whole series of techniques which will enable the controlling oligarchy, who have always existed and presumably will always exist, to get people to love their servitude. This is the, it seems to me, the ultimate in malevolent revolutions."

"Given the fact that there are these 20% of highly suggestible people, it becomes quite clear that this is a matter of enormous political importance, for example, any demagogue who is able to get hold of a large number of these 20% of suggestible people and to organize them is really in a position to overthrow any government in any country."

"If there are 20% of the people who really can be suggested into believing almost anything, then we have to take extremely careful steps into prevent the rise of demagogues who will drive them on into extreme positions then organize them into very, very dangerous armies, private armies which may overthrow the government."

"The really interesting thing about the new chemical substances, the new mind-changing drugs is this, if you looking back into history it’s clear that man has always had a hankering after mind changing chemicals, he has always desired to take holidays from himself, but this is the most extraordinary effect of all that every natural occurring narcotic stimulant, sedative, or hallucinogen, was discovered before the dawn of history. "Man was apparently a dope-bag addict before he was a farmer, which is a very curious comment on human nature."


the full text of Aldous Huxley - Brave New World (rtf) (220kb)

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All downloads are in * ogg-7 (224k) or ^ ogg-9(320k), artwork is included , if in need get the nifty ogg encoder/decoder here !

Jun 22, 2008

Sundaze (37)

Hello, another Sundaze coming up, at the center of attention, a prolific musician/producer, Bill Laswell, whose diverse output includes some great ambient works aswell. Under the pseudonym Divination he released Light In Extension with 2 tracks added to the solo Divination, Ambient Dub albums vol 1 & 2 of the year before. Extended forays into the spaciest, most psychedelic regions of ambient music, marked by the hypnotic drone of the subterranean basses.

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Bill Laswell (Feb12, 1955 in Salem, Illinois) , he ranks among the most prolific of musicians, being involved in hundreds of recordings with many musicians from all over the world. Laswell's music draws upon many different genres, most notably funk, various world music, jazz, dub and ambient styles. He has also played or produced music from the noisier end of the rock spectrum, like hardcore punk and metal.

Though starting out as a guitar player, he soon switched to bass. Laswell got his earliest professional experience as a bassist with funk groups in and around Detroit, Michigan as well as Ann Arbor. He often would see shows in Detroit that put together acts such as Iggy and the Stooges (he would work with Pop througout his career starting in the mid ‘80s), MC5 and Funkadelic (many of whose members are part of his stable of musicians). Seeing these differing styles of music in his frequent trips to Detroit, as well as being rooted in the African-American music that he grew up immersed in have clearly had an influence on Laswell’s music. His exposure to jazz - John Coltrane, Albert Ayler and particularly Miles Davis’ electric experiments have also clearly had an impact on his thinking. Laswell’s refusal to pigeon-hole himself, his music, or even the people he works with is arguably his greatest asset as a musician and producer.

In the late 1970’s Laswell made the move to New York city, immersing himself in the thriving New york scene. He moved into famed producer Giorgio Gomelsky’s loft and became part of a group of musicians that would eventually become the first (and only even remotely consistant) incarnation of Material. Aside from Laswell’s first known recording on one side of a Michael Blaise and the Cheaters 7” called Scoring Power in 1978, Laswell and Material became the backing bank for Daevid Allen and New York Gong, appearing on some recordings and embarking on a small tour. Material, primarily consisting of Laswell, keyboardist Michael Beinhorn and drummer Fred Maher, also cut a number of 12” releases for Red Records and others. They were usually supplimented by guitarists, notably either Cliff Cultreri and occasionally Robert Quine. Living in the East Village also put Laswell at the center of a group of musicians both up and coming such as John Zorn and established, such as Fred Frith and Brian Eno. His persistance in asking Eno to work with him paid off in the form of contributions to Eno and David Byrne’s seminal album My Life in the Bush of Ghosts as well as Eno’s own On Land. Brian Eno also contributed a song to the Material album, One Down.

Within a few years of moving to New York, Laswell soon founded a recording studio with producer/engineer Martin Bisi (of later indie rock renown) and hooked up with Jean Karakos and his fledgling label Celluloid Records. Under the Material moniker (now also a production unit consisting of Laswell and Beinhorn – Maher being long gone - and by 1984 consisting solely of Laswell) Laswell became sort of the de facto house producer for Celluloid until the sale of the label in the later ‘80s. During this fruitful time in the early to mid 80s, Laswell was able to record some of his Material excusions (which ran the gambit from proto-jazz/funk to pop and R&B, as well as projects such as Massacre, with Fred Frith and Fred Maher.

His association with Celluloid allowed some of his first forays into this so-called ‘collision music’, and forays into world music. Recordings with The Golden Palominos and production on albums by Shango, Toure Kunda and Fela Kuti all appeard on the label. Celluloid also released a slew of 12” devoted to Hip-Hip, becoming a pre-cursor to the popularity the form enjoyed starting in the mid 80s. Fab 5 Freddy, Phase II and Afrika Bambaataa all appeared on the label. Criminally forgotten, Laswell also put together the very successful 12” World Destruction which paired PiL’s John Lydon with Afrika Bambaataa – years before the Run DMC/Aerosmith collaboration broke down the rock/hip-hop barrier. 1982 also saw Laswell’s solo debut, Baselines...to be continued


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Divination - Light In Extension 1 and 2 (94 ^ 253mb)

Bill Laswell uses the pseudonym Divination for some of his more psychotic endeavors in experimental ambience -- with the emphasis on the "mental." . Light In Extension, Vol. 1 features Laswell with Liu Sola, Jeff Bova, Nicky Skopelitis, Buckethead, and Robert Musso. They have created some outrageous and cutting-edge soundscapes. Using atmospheres, experimental sounds, dub rhythms, and ska backbeats, they have ventured into unknown territory.

For Light In Extension, Vol. 2, the changed Divination lineup is Bill Laswell, Jah Wobble, Mick Harris, and Jeff Bova. Laswell manages again to construct this unearthly soundscape of deep atmospheres full of gray washes and dark minimalism.



Divination - Light In Extension Vol. 1 ( ^ 247mb)

1 - Divination One (3:44)
2 - Seven Heavens (12:18)
3 - Errata (4:24)
4 - Delta (5:58)
5 - Tian Zhen (4:22)
6 - Agrippa (6:53)
7 - Godspeed (8:20)
8 - Ain Soph Aour (5:48)
9 - Najm-Al-Din (9:06)


Divination - Light In Extension Vol. 2 ( ^ 296mb)

1 - Dead Slow (4:05)
2 - Baraka (15:08)
3 - Silent Fields (4:05)
4 - Evil Eye (14:28)
5 - Dream Light (9:59)
6 - Journeys (13:31)
7 - The Last Words Of Hassan I Sabbath (10:29)

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All downloads are in * ogg-7 (224k) or ^ ogg-9(320k), artwork is included , if in need get the nifty ogg encoder/decoder here !

Jun 21, 2008

Rhotation (37) Into BPM

Hello, Rhotation 37, how time flees..Into BPM , is about Darren Emerson today, his Psychotrance mix album showed not only great skills but self assuredness aswell, enough to extend the feel of it into Underworlds next releases, when he left in 2000 at the height of the DJ culture, he spon his way into the Ibiza nightlife, becoming one of it's biggest assets.

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Darren Emerson mix Psychotrance 2 (94, 72min flac 462mb)

Darren Emerson (born 30 April 1971, in Hornchurch, England), he began mixing Hip-Hop records at the age of 14, and by 16 was DJing regularly at local venues. He began to explore House Music and quickly acquired a reputation as one of the top British DJs, and demand for his services saw him playing at top clubs such as The Milk Bar, Limelights, and Venus. Along the way Darren garnered several accolades such as "DJ of the Month" in The Face magazine, and also i-D magazine.

In 1990, Martin Prudence, brother-in-law of Rick Smith, introduced him and Karl Hyde invited him to become the third member of techno band Underworld. 1993's dubnobasswithmyheadman was their commercial breakthrough onto the then burgeoning British electronica scene. In 1994 he was asked to compile and mix the second instalment of the well recieved Psychotrance 1, Darren didn't blink and layed down not only an excellent set but layed out the groundworks of Underworlds next releases. "Born Slippy .NUXX", which became a huge hit following its inclusion on the soundtrack to the movie, Trainspotting. Originally not included on their second album, 1996's Second Toughest in the Infants. Where Underworld continue to explore the fringes of dub, dance, and techno, creating a seamless, eclectic fusion of various dance genres. Emerson also emerged as a much sought-after remix talent, with remixes for such diverse acts as The Chemical Brothers, and Björk.

Darren parted ways with Underworld in 2000 and then concentrated more on his solo career as a DJ and remixer, and also a label owner. "Global Underground: Uruguay" (2000) and "Global Underground: Singapore" (2001) soon followed on the Global Underground label, with "Episode 1" on his new Underwater label following in 2002. He continued to release tracks by himself and new artists on the Underwater records label and eventually gained its own night at super club Pacha, Ibiza alongside fellow DJ Erick Morillo, to hold a joint Underwater/Subliminal Records night. During its second summer at Pacha, his Underwater Records night won 'House Event' of the summer at the DJ Magazine awards. After its success, Darren Emerson decided to host its own full night at Pacha, Ibiza which became an extremely popular night on the island.

Over the past few years, Emerson has been busy touring the world whilst preparing for his own solo debut album. Rarely playing in the UK apart from his bi-monthly resident slot at London club The End, he still finds time to release an annual Underwater Records compilation every summer. Since 2004, Emerson has been dating British TV presenter, Kate Thornton. They are currently engaged and have one son, born in last month May 2008.



01 - T World - Anthem (5:52)
02 - Norma G. - Son Of Norma (9:09)
03 - Josh Wink - Liquid Summer (5:43)
04 - Advent, The - Level X (6:10)
05 - Gyrate - Touchdown (7:41)
06 - F.E.O.S. vs. M/S/O - Music Was Sent (4:54)
07 - Stefan Robbers - Mask EP (4:28)
08 - Nüw Idol - Z I M (9:29)
09 - Soundscape - Darkside (2:09)
10 - Manuel And Clive - Recognised (4:49)
11 - Dave Angel - Artech (4:27)
12 - Acid Jesus - Move My Body (7:12)

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Underworld - Second Toughest In The Infants (96 ^ 194mb)

When at first you don't succeed...Hyde and Smith began their musical partnership with the Kraftwerk and reggae-inspired sounds of while studying together at Cardiff Art College. In 1983 they recorded two albums for CBS Records with a proto-electroclash new romantic band whose name was a graphic squiggle, which (this being a relatively unknown band and many years before Prince became "Love Symbol") was soon given a pronunciation, Freur...doot doot .Freur disbanded in 1986. In 1987 members of Freur created the band Underworld and tried a more guitar-orientated funky electropop sound "Underneath the Radar"and Change the Weather.After a break (to concentrate on, among other things, art/design project Tomato), Hyde and Smith recruited Essex DJ Darren Emerson, and after several minor releases and remixes as Lemon Interupt and Steppin' Razor readopted the Underworld moniker.

The trio's first full-length, Dubnobasswithmyheadman, was released in 1993 to rave reviews and is still considered a landmark piece of work today. It spawned several hit singles ("Dark & Long", "Cowgirl", "Dirty Epic") and was followed a couple years later by the "Born Slippy" single and their second album, Second Toughest In The Infants (1996). The unusual name of the album as released derives from a comment made by Smith's six-year old nephew Simon Prosser when asked on his progress at school. Both the single and the album showed Underworld maturing as a trio, mixing elements of techno, house, drum and bass and pop music to spectacular effect.

Underworld's well-praised remixography also continued to grow, including artists such as Björk, Saint Etienne, Simply Red, Massive Attack and Leftfield. After licensing a remix of "Born Slippy" for the 1996 cult classic film Trainspotting, Underworld gained instant worldwide fame and found themselves touring furiously, presenting their renowned, high-energy live act worldwide. Their fame continued to run high through the release of Beaucoup Fish (1999) and Everything, Everything (2000), after which time Emerson left the group to concentrate on his DJ career.

The duo continued on, releasing the album A Hundred Days Off in 2002 and an anthology release, 1992–2002 in 2003. From 2004–2006, they took a break from the traditional album/tour cycle, and focused on soundtrack work and online digital EP releases as part of The RiverRun Project.In late 2005 they released two compilations of new songs with accompanying photographs on Underworld Live, Lovely Broken Thing and Pizza for Eggs. These were only released online, june 2006, they released their third instalment, I'm a Big Sister, and I'm a Girl, and I'm a Princess, and This Is My Horse. July 2006, they released a special retrospective mix, called The Misterons Mix, which is comprised of tracks from the three previous Riverrun releases.

Underworld added DJ Darren Price to their live lineup during this period. In 2006, Underworld and Gabriel Yared composed the music score to Anthony Minghella's film Breaking and Entering. Underworld 's latest album, Oblivion with Bells, was released on October 16th, 2007. Underworld have been experimenting and selling recordings of their live performance at the venue, 15 minutes after the show had finished, the first time they did this was a 3xCD set called Live in Tokyo in 2005. A full world tour has been announced to support the new studio album, illness prevented the planned kick off time but they've been catching up in 2008, with their tour dates in the United States, Europe, and Japan. This summer they'll be doing a number of festivals around the globe-see their mypage.

In addition to their music, Hyde and Smith are also founding members of a graphic design company, Tomato, which has done high-profile work for clients around the world as well as providing art for all of Underworld's releases. Hyde, along with John Warwicker of Tomato, has published two typographic journals as Underworld Print: Mmm... Skyscraper, I Love You (1994) and In The Belly Of Saint Paul (2003). Underworld Print began publishing the monthly Book of Jam in October 2007, which focuses on a different theme in each issue.



Underworld - Second Toughest In The Infants (96 flac 578mb)

01 - Juanita (16:36)
------ Kiteless
-------To Dream Of Love
02 - Banstyle/Sappys Curry (15:22)
03 - Confusion The Waitress (6:47)
04 - Rowla (6:31)
05 - Pearls Girl (9:36)
06 - Air Towel (7:37)
07 - Blueski (2:55)
08 - Stagger (7:37)
-- Xs
09 - Born Slippy (NUXX) (11:40)




Underworld - Pearls Girl EP ( 96 flac 291mb)

01 - Pearl's Girl (Short) (3:50)
02 - Oich Oich (8:31)
03 - Cherry Pie (8:21)
04 - Pearl's Girl (Carp Dreams... Koi) (10:05)
05 - Mosaic (5:00)
06 - Deep Arch (8:24)

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All downloads are in * ogg-7 (224k) or ^ ogg-9(320k), artwork is included , if in need get the nifty ogg encoder/decoder here !

Jun 20, 2008

Into The Groove (36)

Hello Its Into The Rare Groove today, at least that what these Urban Classics were called at the time of their re-discovery...rare grooves . It wasn't just rappers looking, the soul/funk and jazzdance DJ's were looking out for these too, so inevatably compilations hit the market.. And these Urban Classics 1 & 2 certainly got noticed...

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Whether it’s sampled as breakbeats, mixed into DJ sets, resold as baby boomer nostalgia or treasured as a holy grail of crate-digging connoisseurs, vintage soul and funk has journeyed from of-the-moment sounds into the realm of timeless for several generations of music lovers. From singles to compilations to samples back to compilations, the sound of the original recordings is creating ever-louder echoes of the echo.

Soul and funk of the ’60s and ’70s had an incalculable influence on American and global popular music. Unlike rock, America’s other great post-war musical phenomenon, soul music came from specifically Afro-American cultural experiences. Its impulses included gospel and jazz, increasing rhythmic sophistication and a broader instrumental palette. Its national successes (James Brown, Sly Stone, Stevie Wonder, Isaac Hayes) expanded the artistic and commercial dreams of these soul purveyors, but for the huge majority, soul music was a regional industry: recorded by local artists, pressed on 45s, distributed through “mom & pop” stores and played almost exclusively in regional radio markets. With no national distribution or support, many recordings disappeared not long after their initial release; almost as soon as the “golden age of soul” came to an end these recordings were valued by collectors and aficionados, whose dedication helped keep the music alive.

Funk and soul came from a singles world, found new life in cut-up snippets and extended compilations, and now through the digital download. Yet this confirms the ongoing relevance of the DJ. There will always be a demand for musical concierges; it takes a dedicated individual to navigate the sheer number of musical choices available today. The role of the DJ has moved beyond crate-digging and into the role of contextualiser.


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VA - Urban Classics 1 and 2 (87, 88, 101min mb)

Urban Classics, the first of three volumes, is a fine snapshot of the sound of London. Side one is all James Brown rarities (at the time) and featured tracks that were barely a decade old like “Blow Your Head” and “Don’t Tell It,” which became much less obscure after being sampled in “Public Enemy #1” and “Poetry” by Boogie Down Productions. Side two was a mix of stepping soul, jazzy grooves and ballads including Roy Ayers’ “Everybody Loves the Sunshine”: still Camden Town’s unofficial anthem after 30 years. This compilation at the time was a soundtrack to a hip, culturally aware lifestyle. That called for a part 2 and one year later Urban Classics 2 saw the light. Another great set of undeniable classics from the funk and soul vaults, this time compiled by Norman Cook. The purists & collectors will probably disagree with such sought after gems as these being released as a compilation, but hey, why should they keep all these funkysheeeeeet classics to themselves ?.



VA - Urban Classics 1 (^ 300mb)

01 - The Macks - Cross The Tracks (3:22)
02 - Jackson Sisters - I Believe In Miracles (3:00)
03 - Bobby Byrd - I Know You Got Soul (3:09)
04 - James town - Don't Tell It (3:59)
05 - Fred Wesley & The JB's - Blow Your Head (4:46)
06 - Fred Wesley - House Party (3:56)
07 - Greg Diamond Bionic Boogie - Hot Butterfly (5:24)
08 - Johnny Bristol - Hang On In There, Baby (3:56)
09 - Roy Ayers Ubiquity - Everybody Loves The Sunshine (4:01)
10 - La Toya Jackson - Camp Kuchi Kaia (3:35)
11 - Gloria Gaynor - This Love Affair (4:18)
12 - Johnny Bristol - Memories Don't Leave Like People Do (3:56)
13 - The JB's - The Grunt (2:51)




VA - Urban Classics 2 (^ 296mb)

01 - James Brown - She's The One (3:02)
02 - Timmy Thomas - You're The Song I've Always Wanted To Sing (3:19)
03 - The Wild Magnolias - (Somebody Got) Soul, Soul Soul (6:16)
04 - The J.B.'s - Pass The Peas (3:15)
05 - Kool and The Gang - Funky Stuff (5:08)
06 - Foster Sylvers - Misdemeanor (2:23)
07 - Bobby Bird - Never Get Enough (3:16)
08 - Lyn Collins - Mr. Big Stuff (4:01)
09 - The Mob - I Dig Everything About You (2:31)
10 - Roy Ayers - Brother Green (5:41)
11 - Sweet Charles - Yes, It's You (3:13)
12 - Gregg Diamond - Cream (Always Rises To The Top) (4:35)
13 - James Brown - Papa Don't Make No Mess (4:30)


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Jun 19, 2008

Alphabet Soup (J)

Hello, Alphabet Soup serves up J today and first up representing the seventies are Jethro Tull, who broke through internationally with their epic Thick As A Brick. Even after more than three decades it's kept its shine, its stream-of-consciousness lyrics embedded in classical structures and the use of an array of instruments.....Secondly , Jane's Addiction, the album that contains their breakthrough (MTV) hits, Ritual De Lo Habitual, too much for Peter Farrell, who dissolved the band after the promotour....Junior Boys were already split before they got their first record deal, after years of trying to esteblish a foothold..They supplied some MP3 music to a site and from there their name grew. Since they've released two acclaimed albums, you'll find the 2004 debut here...

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Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick ( 72 ^ 99mb)

The Anderson's band moved to the London area in search of more bookings, basing themselves in nearby Luton. Left by some bandmembers, Anderson and bassist Glenn Cornick joined forces with blues guitarist Mick Abrahams and his friend, drummer Clive Bunker. At first, the new band had trouble getting repeat bookings and they took to changing their name frequently to continue playing the London club circuit. Band names were often supplied by their booking agents' staff, one of whom, a history enthusiast, eventually christened them Jethro Tull after the 18th-century agriculturist who invented the seed drill. This name stuck simply by virtue of the fact that they were using it the first time a club manager (namely, John Gee of the Marquee Club, London) liked their show enough to invite them to return. They were signed to the blossoming Ellis-Wright agency, and became the third band managed by the soon-to-be Chrysalis empire.

By the time Jethro Tull released Thick As A Brick they already had released 4 albums in 3 years, with commercial success, the last of those, Aqualong had recieved much praise and showed the bands music was still developping, as it stretched the band's wings further from the blues of the first three albums, it was still basically mainstream rock. Jethro Tull took it upon themselves to write a real concept album, after Aqualong was considered to be something of a concept album..much to the surprise of the writer Ian Anderson. With Thick As A Brick the lyrics are built around a poem written by a fictitious boy, "Gerald Bostock" a.k.a. "Little Milton" (Ian Anderson himself). The album only featured one song, an epic masterpiece, lasting over 43 minutes. The epic is notable for its numerous time signature and tempo changes, as well as a large number of themes throughout the piece, resembling a typical classical symphony in this regard, rather than a typical rock song. This, set to stream-of-consciousness lyrics dense with imagery. Released in 1972, Thick As A Brick was Tull's first true prog rock offering, four years after the release of their first album. A dazzling tour de force, at once playful, profound, and challenging, without being overwhelming. The band was rewarded with great revieews and excellent sales (no 1 US album) and settled the name of Jethro Tull........35 years later...

In September 2007, Jethro Tull released CD/DVD Live At Montreux 2003. The concert was recorded on the July 4, 2003 . In addition to another busy tour schedule in 2007, Jethro Tull are also in the studio recording some new material for a new CD which is expected to be released in the summer of 2008. If it is released it will be the band's first proper new album in eight years. Some of the new songs were performed live during the recent UK acoustic tour, and 2007 Fall tour



01 - Thick As A Brick pt 1 (22:42)
02 - Thick As A Brick pt 2 (21:05)

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Jane's Addiction - Ritual De Lo Habitual ( 90 ^ 99mb)

Jane's Addiction formed out of the ashes of frontman Perry Farrell's previous band, Psi-com. In the summer of 1985, Farrell was searching for a new bass player for the faltering Psi-com when he was introduced to Eric Avery. Farrell and Avery bonded, even though Avery never did become a full-fledged member of Farrell's disintegrating group.Later, Eric's sister introduced the duo to Stephen Perkins, whom she was dating at the time Perkins in turn suggested that his friend Dave Navarro might be a suitable guitar player for the new band, dubbed "Jane's Addiction" in honor of Farrell's housemate, Jane Bainter, who was heavily addicted to drugs.

The band became a sensation on the Los Angeles club scene, primarily headlining at Scream. They soon gained interest from a variety of record labels. Most of their catalogue was written then (86-87). While they had decided to sign with Warner Bros. Records, the band insisted on releasing their debut on an independent record label first. The first record, Jane's Addiction, was a live recording with heavy overdubs released on Triple X Records. Their major label debut Nothing's Shocking was released in 1988. The album was certified Gold and got them nominated for a Grammy Award .

With the market awakened to them the breakthrough came with the release of Ritual de lo Habitual in 1990. The singles "Stop!" and "Been Caught Stealing" topped the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and the video for the latter song won the first MTV Video Music Award for Best Alternative Video. The album is roughly broken into two parts. Tracks 1-5 consist of unrelated funk-metal style songs. Tracks 6-9, as a whole are in memorium of singer Perry Farrell's deceased friend known as Xiola Bleu, who died of a heroin-overdose in 1987 at the age of 19. The album itself was weaker than it's extremely vibrant predecessor, something that must have knawed at the band and created uncertainty as to where to go, they were not supposed to follow the commercial pressures but then why not ? Well after the the first Lollapalooza festival tour Farrell had organised it became clear that it was to be the band's farewell tour.

The original cover for this album initiated some controversy from conservative record stores and political action groups. They tried to pressure Warner Brothers Records into changing the artwork, but the band would not allow it. Instead, a compromise was met that allowed production of this version as well as the Amendment version which contained an alternate cover for those who found this cover offensive .



01 - Stop! (4:14)
02 - No One's Leaving (3:01)
03 - Ain't No Right (3:34)
04 - Obvious (5:55)
05 - Been Caught Stealing (3:34)
06 - Three Days (10:48)
07 - Then She Did... (8:18)
08 - Of Course (7:02)
09 - Classic Girl (5:07)

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Junior Boys - Last Exit ( 04 ^ 99mb)

Originally a duo of Jeremy Greenspan and Johnny Dark, Junior Boys created a sound that would reconcile their influences. Years of collaboration followed and a demo was produced, but after many rejections and near-misses, they were resigned to being bedroom beat constructors. Soon after, Johnny Dark left the band to pursue other interests. Eventually KIN Records heard their demo at the end of 2002 and commissioned more work from remaining member Greenspan. Hooking up with his engineer, Matt Didemus, he began again, writing more material . The first release Birthday/Last Exit came in October 2003 — a four-track EP with a remix by Fennesz which brought them near-unanimous acclaim. Their debut album, Last Exit (recorded at the end of 2003 by Greenspan and Didemus in Hamilton), was released September 21, 2004 on KIN Records. A reissue in the US on Domino featured the Manitoba mix of Birthday, a Fennesz mix of the same track, and a new track. By that time the Junior Boys buzz has spread across the web, it's distinct retrospective eighties feel got the album great reviews. 

As of 2006, Junior Boys have reappeared with new releases. "Max", a new original song, was released on the compilation See You on the Moon! . Their second full-length album, So This Is Goodbye, was released in August 2006 on Domino Records. Working within comparatively streamlined song structures, the rhythmic capriciousness that so strongly informed their debut all but erased, the absence of those slippery rhythm tracks puts the focus even more squarely on Greenspan, who delivered with a record full of elegant melodies.And like the debut album, Last Exit, So this is goodbye, got excellent reviews

2007 saw the Junior Boys embarking on a North American tour, and then headed to Europe for numerous festivals, continuing into the summer. The remix EP The Dead Horse EP was released in April containing remixes of tracks from So This Is Goodbye. 



01 - More Than Real (6:39)
02 - Bellona (5:38)
03 - High Come Down (4:29)
04 - Last Exit (6:35)
05 - Neon Rider (2:08)
06 - Birthday (4:16)
07 - Under The Sun (7:02)
08 - Three Words (5:46)
09 - Teach Me How To Fight (5:31)
10 - When I'm Not Around (5:22)

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All downloads are in * ogg-7 (224k) or ^ ogg-9(320k), artwork is included , if in need get the nifty ogg encoder/decoder here !

Jun 18, 2008

Eight-X (36)

Hello, Eight-X time again and first up is a bit of an interlooper, productionally however, it crosses the bridge to the eighties. With Mike Batts first soloalbum, Schizophonia, he immediately gained respect for incorporating intelligent pop, and orchestrated rock. A bit of a golden boy this Mike, as at that time 28 years old, he already had a successful writing and producing career under his belt, one that has extended to this day.......It turned out less fortunate, for the main man of the next band here, Big Country, after a good start US success faltered, and 20 years later Stuart Adamson, battling with alcolism and depression, hanged himself....his second crossing......Finally some vinyl i picked up recently (50c) a spotless album by the Dynamic Duo that went for it, and made the most of a lucky break, that finally brought them the edge of heaven. One half of the duo has scored many hits solo and established his writing, singing and production skills ,only to enter into useless battles continued against the self, a conscience can become hard to bear..Anyway "The Final" wasn't even released in the US where it was deemed "too shocking" perhaps.

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Mike Batt - Schizophonia (77 ^flac 197mb)


Michael Philip Batt (born 6 February 1949 in Southampton, England) began his career in pop music at the age of eighteen as a signed artist with Liberty Records, having answered the same advertisement as Elton John and Bernie Taupin placed by Ray Williams in the New Musical Express. The talented youth quickly became part of Liberty's production team, and in 1969 20 year Batt took over production duties, on blues great McKenna Mendelson Mainline's seminal first release, Stink. Credited on the album only as "Liberty Staff". Also in 1969, Batt released as producer/artist a Liberty single, his bouncy cover of The Beatles' "Your Mother Should Know". Batt subsequently became Head of A&R for Liberty Records. His first hits as a singer/songwriter/producer were by The Wombles, in 1974. After eight hit singles and four gold albums with The Wombles, he moved on to work with various artists as a songwriter/producer, most successfully with Steeleye Span and their most successful single and album All Around My Hat in 1975.

With Batt's solo debut, Schizophonia, he was able to realize, in a tangible way, his desire to incorporate intelligent pop, and orchestrated rock into a unified body of work. A keyboard player by trade, his true skill lies in large-ensemble arrangements that include the standard rock & roll configuration of electric guitars, bass, and drums. On Schizophonia, Batt enlists the services of several key musicians who've worked with him in the past and who would appear in future recordings of his; among them are guitarist Chris Spedding, percussionist Ray Cooper, and steel guitar player B.J. Cole. The result, an ambitious and well-conceived effort that would pave the way for several more such recordings. The follow-up Tarot Suite certainly holds its own as an artfully and literate collection of orchestrated rock & roll. The album is again driven by the creative orchestral (London Symphony Orchestra) arrangements and songwriting of Batt. "Lady of the Dawn," sung by Colin Blunstone, achieved respectable "hit" status in England.

In 1980 Mike Batt released his next album, entitled Waves. Later that year, he went off with his family aboard his boat “Braemar”, ending up in Australia after two and a half years, travelling via France, The West Indies, South America, Central America, Mexico, Los Angeles, Hawaii and Fiji. At the end of that journey, he wrote for the 50th anniversary of the Australian Broadcasting Company the musical Zero, Zero. The album The Hunting of the Snark, based on Lewis Carroll's epic nonsense poem, was recorded in 1984. It was presented as a dramatised concert at Sydney’s State Theatre in 1990, and was produced as a musical in London’s West End in 1991 He was then commissioned to write the official Anthem for the inauguration of the Channel Tunnel by The Queen, entitled "When Flags Fly Together". Batt composed and produced the four million-selling album The Violin Player with classical violinist Vanessa-Mae in 95 , the same year he made another solo album, Arabesque.

Currently, Batt is dedicating most of his time to guiding the career of Katie Melua from Georgia. Katie's album "Call Off The Search" was released on Mike's own Dramatico label in November 2003. It sold over 1.8 million copies - in the UK, making Katie the biggest selling UK female artist of 2004. Her second album, "Piece by Piece" to date has sold 3.5 million copies in Europe. Dramatico has been for the last three years, one of the top 3 UK based Indie labels, based on official sales figures. In 2008, Batt started the year with one concert in Munich and a radio-concert-tour in Germany to promote his new CD "A songwriter's tale" - a best compilation.


01 - The Ride To Agadir (6:38)
02 - Berber's Prayer (2:08)
03 - The Walls Of The World (3:20)
04 - Insh'Allah (4:58)

05 - The Fires Od Rabat (2:45)
06 - It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time (2:51)
07 - Bourree (1:34)
08 - Railway Hotel (3:18)
09 - Voices In The Dark (4:01)
10 - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (4:03)

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Big Country - The Crossing ( 83 flac 530mb)

The England-born Adamson formed Big Country in mid-1981 following his exit from the Scottish punk quartet the Skids, enlisting childhood friend Bruce Watson on second guitar; Clive Parker and brothers Pete and Alan Wishart completed the original lineup, but were soon replaced by bassist Tony Butler and drummer Mark Brzezicki. Signing to Polygram's Mercury imprint, the band issued its debut single, "Harvest Home," in the fall of 1982; a series of opening dates on the Jam's farewell tour increased Big Country's visibility exponentially, and the follow-up, "Fields of Fire," cracked the U.K. Top Ten.
It was rapidly followed by the album The Crossing. Powered by "In a Big Country", their only U.S. Top 40 hit single, the album was a hit in the United States. The song featured heavily engineered guitar playing, strongly reminiscent of bagpipes; Adamson and fellow guitarist, Watson, achieved this through the use of the MXR Pitch Transposer 129 Guitar Effect. Also contributing to the band's unique sound was their early virtuoso use of the e-bow, a device which allows a guitar to sound more like strings or synthesizer.

The band released the non-LP extended play single "Wonderland" in 1984 while undergoing a lengthy worldwide tour. The song, considered by some critics to be one of their finest, was a Top Ten hit (#8) in the UK singles chart but didnt connect in the US. Their second album, Steeltown, entered the charts at number one, but despite good reviews there were already rumblings that all of the band's material sounded much the same. Throughout 1984 and 1985, the band toured the UK, Europe, and, to a lesser extent, the U.S

1986's The Seer, the band's third album, was another big success in the UK, peaking at Number 2, and producing three additional Top 40 UK singles. These included "Look Away" which reached Number 7 (the band's highest charting UK single). Kate Bush provided backing vocals on the title cut, and, as was the norm for the band at the time, the album received good reviews from the music press. In the U.S., the album sold modestly better than Steeltown, reaching #59. In what some critics felt was an apparent attempt to regain their dwindling U.S. following, Big Country hooked up with producer Peter Wolf [6] for their next album, Peace in Our Time (1988), which was recorded in Los Angeles, California. It sold poorly. No Place Like Home (1991) not only effectively killed off the band's commercial hopes in the US, it nearly broke up the band. Drummer Mark Brzezicki left the band.

In 1991, the band was dropped by Phonogram, the label that had released all of their material for ten years. After that, Big Country became a minor act, popping up in the lower echelons of the charts in the UK and Europe with the release of every subsequent album. 1993's The Buffalo Skinners, recorded with yet another new drummer, Simon Phillips; the record launched a pair of British Top 30 hits, "Alone" and "Ships." Brzezicki rejoined the lineup in time for Without the Aid of a Safety Net, a live LP recorded in Glasgow at year's end. Why the Long Face followed in 1995, and after recording the acoustic effort Eclectic, Adamson relocated to Nashville in 1997, prompting Big Country to go on extended hiatus.

1999 saw the release of Big Country's eighth and final studio album, Driving to Damascus (titled in its slightly different, augmented U.S. release John Wayne's Dream). Adamson said publicly that he was disappointed that the album did not fare better on the charts, which led to depression. Later that year, he disappeared for a while before resurfacing, stating that he had just needed some time off. In November 2001, Adamson disappeared again, appeals to return didnt work, a month later, he was found dead in a room at the Best Western Plaza Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii on December 16, 2001. The official autopsy revealed that he had hanged himself

A memorial to Adamson was held at Dunfermline's Carnegie Hall in January 2002, followed by a tribute concert at the Barrowlands in May. It brought together the remaining members of both Big Country and The Skids; Adamson's teenage children, Callum and Kirsten; as well as Steve Harley, Runrig, Simon Townshend, Midge Ure and Bill Nelson. In 2007, to celebrate 25 years of Big Country, founding members Bruce Watson, Tony Butler (now lead vocalist for the first time), and Mark Brzezicki reunited to tour Scotland and England.


01 - In A Big Country (4:44)
02 - Inwards (4:36)
03 - Chance (4:25)
04 - 1000 Stars (3:53)
05 - The Storm (6:18)
06 - Harvest Home (4:20)
07 - Lost Patrol (4:50)
08 - Close Action (4:15)
09 - Fields Of Fire (3:32)
10 - Porrohman (7:51)
Wonderland EP (US Version)
11 - Wonderland 3:58
12 - Al Fall Together (Jimmy Iovine Remix) 5:16
13 - Angle Park 4:08
14 - The Crossing 7:10
Bonus Track
15 - Chance (Re-Recorded Single Version) 4:37

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Wham! - The Final ( 85 , 79min ^ 478mb)

Wham! formed in 1981 by George Michael, Andrew Ridgeley, and David Morrison. George met Wham!'s other half, Andrew Ridgeley, at school in the London suburb of Bushey, and in 1979 they started performing together as part of the ska-based band the Executive. When that group dissolved, they wrote songs, made demos, and rushed into a recording contract with the equally eager independent label Innervision. The first record to be released by the band was "Wham Rap!". It was a double-A side with a Social Mix and Anti-social Mix. The record was banned for general release in the UK due to the profanity in the Anti-social Mix. In October 1982, their song "Young Guns (Go For It!)" was issued. As luck would have a spot would open on BBC's Top of the Pops and they got to perform their bubbling single which subsequently has the girls running for the shop and landed Wham ! their first hit (#3)

Wham! followed up with the reissue "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)", subsequently they released "Bad Boys", and "Club Tropicana", a satire of the Club 18-30 scene. Each song came with a memorable music video. By the end of 1983, Wham! was rivaling Duran Duran and Culture Club as Britain's biggest pop act. Their first album Fantastic reached #1. Driven by Ridgeley, the duo changed their image, and Wham! returned in May 1984 with an updated, cutting-edge pop image quickly copied by other pop bands. Ridgeley changed the band's look from "moody in leather jackets" to smiles and fashionable clothing, with an aim to promote themselves more as sex symbols rather than spokespeople for a disaffected generation. The next single Wake Me Up Before You Go Go, a song Michael wrote reached to the top of the charts around the world.

Although some critics felt that Wham! represented bubblegum pop, many people started to appreciate Michael's proven ability as a songwriter and capable vocalist. The next single "Careless Whisper" was issued as a George Michael solo piece, yet unlike any Wham! single since "Wham Rap!," it was co-written by Ridgeley. The song quickly reached #1. In the autumn of 1984, Wham! came back as a duo with "Freedom", another chart-topper. In November, they released their second album, Make It Big, which coasted to #1 on the album charts. The band set off on another arena tour at the end of 1984. George contributed to the Band Aid project, with Michael providing vocals as the song usurped their own Christmas release, "Last Christmas"/"Everything She Wants", the single became the highest-selling single ever to peak at #2 in the UK charts. As such, Wham! donated all their royalties to the Ethiopian famine appeal to coincide with the fundraising intentions of Band Aid, the song which beat them to the top spot.

In April 1985, Wham! took a break from recording to embark on an enormous world tour including a groundbreaking 10-day visit to China. It culminated in a concert at the Worker's Gymnasium in Beijing in front of 10,000 people. Director Lindsay Anderson documented the tour in his film Foreign Skies. Michael desired to create music targeted to a more sophisticated audience than the duo's primarily teenage fanbase. Therefore, Michael and Ridgeley announced the breakup of Wham! in the spring of 1986, destined to take place after a farewell single and album, along with a historic grand finale concert at Wembley Stadium on June 28, 1986, called The Final. The farewell single was "The Edge of Heaven" which reached #1 in June 1986. The duo's last album was a double-LP collection of all the singles to date, mostly the extended versions, and was also called The Final (released in North America as the severely pared-down Music from the Edge of Heaven with alternate tracks). Wham! then said goodbye to their audience (73,000 of whom attended the eight-hour event) . The band had been together five years, selling close to 20 million albums and 10 to 15 million singles.


Wham! - The Final ( flac 478mb)

01 - Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do) (6:36)
02 - Young Guns (Go For It) (5:07)
03 - Bad Boys (4:51)
04 - Club Tropicana (4:17)

05 - Wake Me Up Before You Go Go (3:47)
06 - Careless Whisper (Extended Mix) (6:21)
07 - Freedom (5:14)
08 - Last Christmas (Pudding Mix) (6:35)

09 - Everything She Wants (Remix) (6:23)
10 - I'm Your Man (Extended Stimulation) (6:45)
11 - Blue (Armed With Love) (3:49)

12 - A Different Corner (3:53)
13 - Battlestations (5:21)
14 - Where Did Your Heart Go? (5:37)
15 - The Edge Of Heaven (4:23)

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Jun 17, 2008

Around The World (36)

Hello Around the World is going classical for the last time, with what can be considered night ambient or nocturnal, even if life in those days wasn't as stressy they did like to chill out some aswell. A nocturne is usually a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night, nocturnes are generally thought of as being tranquil, often expressive and lyrical, and sometimes rather gloomy. The nocturne was cultivated primarily in the nineteenth century. The first nocturnes to be written under the specific title were by the Irish composer John Field, generally viewed as the father of the Romantic nocturne.

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John Field (July 26, 1782 – January 23, 1837) was Ireland's greatest composer even if his music has largely disappeared. He is best known for being the first composer to write nocturnes. Field was born in Dublin in 1782, the eldest son of Protestant Irish parents. He first studied the piano under his grandfather, who was a professional organist, and later under Tommaso Giordani. He made his debut at the age of nine. His family moved to London in 1793, where his father secured for him an apprenticeship with the pianist and piano manufacturer Muzio Clementi. By the time he was seventeen, Field had already premiered his First Piano Concerto (he wrote seven of them); it was one of the last acts of his apprenticeship. He was lionized as a performer for several years before turning to composition, beginning with his first set of piano sonatas, published in 1801. 

In 1801 Field accompanied Clementi on a tour of Paris and Vienna. When Clementi moved to Russia, Field followed him there, continuing his employment demonstrating his pianos. Field established his own concert career in Russia, and by 1806 was dividing his time between Moscow and Saint Petersburg, settling in the latter city after his marriage to a French woman in 1810. His teaching proved lucrative, and his lifestyle became somewhat extravagant, living as something of a bon vivant. By 1831 his health deteriorated, and suffering from a painful cancer of the rectum he travelled back to London for medical attention. After treatment he returned to Russia by way of France and Italy, spending nine months in a hospital in Naples. Helped by a Russian aristocratic family, he returned to Moscow in 1835, where he composed his last few nocturnes in the sixteen months remaining to him. 

Field is best remembered for his eighteen nocturnes which are single movement impromptu compositions for piano that maintain a single mood throughout. He is also the founder of the piano nocturne. The first three of these date from 1812. These pieces are further notable for their influence on Frédéric Chopin, who further developped the format and went on to write 21 nocturnes himself.

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Roberte Mamou - John Field 15 Nocturnes ( 94 ^ 137mb)

The Tunisian-born pianist Roberte Mamou was trained in her own country, Paris and Antwerp.She's based in Europe, and has worked mostly in Belgium. Her multi-faceted and colourful musical personality emerges magically from the instrument when she plays, in a breathtaking alchemy which owes something to the flavours and scents of Tunisia where she spent her childhood. The experience of ten years as vocal coach at the La Monnaie Royal Opera in Brussels is also discernible, but perhaps what comes across most is the love and passion which she has always felt for music in all its forms. As a soloist Roberte Mamou has appeared with some of the greatest orchestras and ensembles.

01 - No.1 in E flat major (3:37)
02 - No.2 in C minor (2:52)
03 - No.3 in A flat major (4:02)
04 - No.4 in A major (5:11)
05 - No.5 in B flat major (2:36)
06 - No.6 in F major (4:31)
07 - No.7 in C major (5:07)
08 - No.8 in A major (4:15)
09 - No.9 in E flat major (3:18)
10 - No.10 in E minor (3:18)
11 - No.11 in E flat major (5:37)
12 - No.12 in G major (2:52)
13 - No.13 in D minor (3:34) 
14 - No.14 in C major (9:06)
15 - No.15 in C major (5:01)

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All downloads are in * ogg-7 (224k) or ^ ogg-9(320k), artwork is included , if in need get the nifty ogg encoder/decoder here !

Jun 16, 2008

Foundation (8)

Hello, all good things come to an end , and so today the last part of the Foundation Trilogy is coming up..enjoy

Last week

Now that the Mule has conquered the Foundation he stands as the most powerful force in the galaxy, as he is the sole controller of nuclear technologies and weapons; the Second Foundation is the only real threat to his eventual rule over the entire galaxy. The Mule promises that he will find the Second Foundation, after an extensive sweep turns up nothing. The Second Foundation manage to trick the Mule to follow a hot lead and show up in person at a backwater in the galaxy with his fleet, that destroys the decoy world, meanwhile it comes to a showdown with the First Speaker of the Second Foundation, who succeeds to destabalize the Mule and telepathically modify him and make him forget about his drive and status, meanwhile the rest is freed of the Mule's control....... 

In the last part, the second foundation needs to cover its tracks again before it can rise


Foundation Trilogy 8 (Star's End) ( 37mb)


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All downloads are in * ogg-7 (224k) or ^ ogg-9(320k), artwork is included , if in need get the nifty ogg encoder/decoder here !

Jun 15, 2008

Sundaze (36)

Hello, Sundaze again and this time the focus is on the soundscape and sample pioneer Holger Czukay, one of the founders of krautrockmasters Can ...first up his second solo album On The Way To The Peak Of Normal where he extends the work from his first album Movies...being someone who loves the collaboration format ..in the late eighties he released 2 ambient soundscapes with David Sylvian..both are up here..

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A founding member of the enormously influential Krautrock group Can, Holger Czukay was one of the pivotal underground figures of his era; over the course of his long, expansive career, Czukay successfully bridged the gap between pop and the avant-garde, pioneering the use of samples and exploring the significance of world music on Western culture.

Czukay was born in Danzig (now Gdansk) on March 24, 1938. After falling in love with music at a young age, he spent his formative years studying to be a composer and conductor, but his ideas were frequently too radical for mainstream tastes; after being disqualified from one jazz festival for his "unclassifiable music," he was later expelled from Berlin's Music Academy for similar artistic insolence. He studied music under avant-garde composer Karlheinz Stockhausen from 1963 to 1966, where he continued to refine his ideas, and soon became a teacher himself. Initially Czukay had little interest in rock music, but this changed when a student, Michael Karoli played him The Beatles' 1967 song "I Am The Walrus," opening his ears to music by rock experimentalists like the Velvet Underground and Frank Zappa.

After picking up the bass, Czukay teamed with Karoli, fellow Stockhausen protege Irmin Schmidt, drummer Jaki Liebezeit and American-born vocalist Malcolm Mooney, and in early 1968 the group Inner Space was formed. Quickly renamed Can, in 1969 they released their debut Monster Movie, the first in a series of visionary albums establishing the band as one of the truly seminal artists of the period. At much the same time, Czukay teamed with Rolf Dammers to release an LP titled Canaxis 5, instituting both primitive sampling techniques (achieved with tape splices) and worldbeat influences; sculpted from thousands of recordings dubbed from short-wave radio broadcasts, the album employed samples from a number of international sources, and consequently positioned Czukay as an early proponent of world music appropriation.

After 1976's Flow Motion, Can disbanded, and three years later Czukay issued his debut solo effort Movies, a marked refinement of his short-wave sonic collage techniques, which became his trademark . The use of shortwave radio sounds and his early pioneering of sampling, in those days involving the painstaking cutting and splicing of magnetic tapes. He would tape-record various sounds and snippets from shortwave and incorporate them into his compositions. In addition to critical raves, "Movies" won considerable interest throughout the musical community, and Czukay subsequently began work on a number of outside projects, he teamed with Jaki Liebezeit and bassist Jah Wobble for the LP Full Circle and the club hit "How Much Are They." Through Wobble, Czukay also met the Japanese singer Phew, and along with Liebezeit and producer Conny Plank they recorded the 1982 album Phew.

Czukay's next official solo release was 1982's On the Way to the Peak of Normal, another collaboration with Wobble assembled from sessions with the Dusseldorf-based band SYPH. 1984's Der Osten Ist Rot and 1987's Rome Remains Rome (featuring the controversial "Blessed Easter," which contained a sample of Pope John Paul II) followed, although Czukay spent the majority of the mid-decade involved in a variety of production work. In 1988 he teamed with David Sylvian for the lovely Plight and Premonition; which the duo followed up the next year with Flux + Mutability, Czukay re-formed Can to record a new studio LP, Rite Time. Czukay used shortwave as a live, interactive musical instrument on 1991's Radio Wave Surfer, a method of composition he termed radio painting. Apart from that and 1993's Moving Pictures, Czukay spent much of the 1990s removed from performing, nevertheless in 97 he released a live album, "Clash" . He mainly focused instead on production work before releasing Good Morning Story (his first studio album in six years) in 1999. This was followed by La Luna (2000) Linear City 2001 , an internet project working on a a recording of Sudanese Zar ceremonies. And time and Tide (2001).

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H.Czukay - On The Way To The Peak of Normal ( 81 flac 189mb)

After Movies, Czukay continued exploring the methods of sampling and laid-back jamming on this follow-up. The opening track, the side-long "Ode to Perfume/Fragrance" coasts along on some heavily twangy guitar, short-wave static, treated vocals, and drunken trumpet, all in a hypnotic late-night groove. This first half of the album is played entirely by Czukay, except for Jaki Liebezeit's trademark metronomic drumming, and in many ways it's a revelation. This is when the album most obviously picks up where 'Movies' let off, but the snippets of TV and radio are largely absent, barring a brief vocal sample in the first couple of minutes. Fragrance picks the theme back up and works in some vocoder to interesting effect. The whole thing has a slightly funky motorik feel, and makes an excellent soundtrack for a workout (Czukay himself recommended listening to it on headphones while roller skating!). The title track was recorded with members of S.Y.P.H., and is an atmospheric piece with a drum machine beat and fragments of radio interference fleshing out the minimal improvisation. The album closes with the dark, mysterious Hiss 'n' Listen, featuring Jah Wobble on bass and whispered vocals by Czukay.



01 - Ode To Perfume (18:00)

02 - On The Way To The Peak Of Normal (7:33)
03 - Witches' Multiplication Table (4:51)
04 - Two Bass Shuffle (2:15)
05 - Hiss 'n' Listen (3:50)

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David Sylvian and Holger Czukay are fairly eclectic and diverse musicians. In the European ambient scene, they are fixtures.
With Plight & Premonition they deliver some pure soundscaping, ambience that contains little flecks and fragments of other sonic encounters, like glimpsing little details in the landscape as you speed along in a perpetual twilight, dark, lush, droning, and chasm-deep. Flux & Mutability is a complete contrast to its predecessor, it overflows with dreamy synth tones and pleasant atmospheres. It's a radiant ambience that still doesn't captivate all your attention, but creeps into your consciousness before you realize what's happened. "Flux" is "a big, bright, colorful world" and "Mutability" is "a new beginning...in the offing." These pieces are deep, expansive atmospheres with eerie samples and vacuous walls of sound. The second piece features only guitars, keyboards, and an African flute. The first piece has a much wider sound. It is a safe bet that it has the only ambient flugelhorn ever (by Markus Stockhausen). The real essence of this disc comes from the sound design, mixing, and processing. Aural mysticism at a very high level of expression - perfect for meditating or just chilling.



David Sylvian - Holger Czukay - Plight and Premonition ( 88 flac 143mb)

1 - Plight (The Spiralling Of Winter Ghosts) (18:30)
2 - Premonition (Giant Empty Iron Vessel) (16:21)




David Sylvian - Holger Czukay - Flux and Mutability ( 89 flac 158mb)

3 - Flux (A Big, Bright, Colourful World) (16:52)
4 - Mutability ("A New Beginning Is In The Offing") (21:02

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Jun 14, 2008

Rhotation (36) Into BPM

Hello, Rhotation 36 and Into BPM kicks off with a UK band that named itself after a phenomenal Dutch soccer striker, who had to retire as 3 times European Player of the Year, so maybe thats why the band retired too after he officially retired 2 years later in 95, Marco Van Basten. Little did they know that years later he would return as successful coach who tonight beat France 4-1 after routing worldchampions Italy 3-0 four days earlier at the European soccer Championship. Well it inspired me to pick the Leftfield inspired Van Basten album Perimitive..... Dave Angel was led into music from an early age and has sublimated his influences of Jazz, Soul and Funk into his own Techno style. Classics is a 96 compilation of his earlier 12"and EP's....To provide some background to all that a 96 compilation released by a popular Belgian dance radio show, Cybercafé. Some great tracks to be had if you didnt score them previously already...

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Van Basten - Perimitive ( 95 * 99mb)

There's always a first, after posting a 1000 acts, here's one that left Google mute. Van Basten are Gary Webster (keyboards, computers, digital), Martin Reilly (keyboards, computers, galaxi), and Gary Everatt (xylophone, mute trombone). They've released 5 12" before their album Perimitive in 95, the following year another 3 12" and then silence, zilch nothing on the members either...? Well John Peel liked their Progressive House / Trance and invited Van Basten to do a session 14/11/1995. Their label Brute records went out of business a decade ago...so if anyone has something to add , feel free and please comment...



01 - London Coma (3:36)
02 - Black Dragon (6:27)
03 - Battlestar Science (4:31)
04 - Charged (7:55)
05 - You Can Fight (5:56)
06 - King Of The Death Posture (Rmx) (7:05)
07 - Tube Station (3:55)
08 - Blood Wars (5:54)
09 - Explosion Road (6:32)
10 - National Anaesthetic (5:07)
11 - Perimitive (Parts 1 & 2) (11:52)


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Dave Angel - Classics ( 96 ^ 138mb)

Nicholas Gooden aka Dave Angel was born in Chelsea, grew up in Clapham and was into music by the age of 8. When his Jamaican father, a Jazz musician, influenced him deeply, and taught him to play drums. He spent little time in school and preferred the music room to the classroom. Bt the age of 12 he would play his first jamsession with his dad.

Dj-ing at Radio Phase One(London pirate station) alongside the likes of Grooverider and Fabio, the odd party and club here and there as funk-dj until the TB303 came in his life when he realised this is the music of now and he decided to get in on it.
One day, Dave found a very primitive Casio keyboard at a mate’s house and borrowed it, feeling it was the time for his first steps. He built a dark bassline that he put together with two drum sequences from different tracks recorded with his double tape deck. He let it loose on “Sweet Dreams” of Eurythmics, taking the familiar tune on a dark and atmospheric journey into house. That was it, the beginning of his majestic career. His Nightmare Mix became a thrilling tune reaching 23rd in the English charts.

Not long after that, Dave received many invitations and gained much respect from the europeans and became part of the Phaze One team with the drum & bass DJs Fabio and Grooverider (who use to play from house to hardcore at that time). The doors were also opened for his producer career. His excellent following productions (like the EPs The Family EP” by Apollo, and “Royal Techno EP” by Rotation Records), showed Dave’s philosophy, which was built under the influences of Jazz, Soul and Funk. One of the “greatest techno artists from outside Detroit”, as he was considered, released magnificent tunes for labels such as Black Market, Love, Rotation, and specially the Belgian R&S, where some of his great tracks can be found ( like here “Classics”, his '96 singles resume).

The year before he released through K7! one of the best mixed CDs ever: “X-Mix-4 - Beyond The Heavens”, which included some of the amazing classics from all over the World such as Chez Damier’s “Help Myself”, F2’s “Dominica” or even his remix for Sun Electric’s “Entrance” The second half of the nineties brought Dave closer to funk than Jazz on a new optic called “techfunk” when he released tracks from the long play “Globetrotting“ such as “Tokyo Stealth Fighter”, “This is Disco” and “Funk Music”, as well as the other mixed compilation: “39 Flavours Of Tech Funk”.

Over the years that followed, Dave gained a central position on the international scene, releasing several more mix albums , and making appearances at the biggest events and festivals, he has become a major icon in international techno.



01 - Bounce Back (5:09)
02 - Sighting (5:37)
03 - Jungle Love (5:47)
04 - Trip To Darkness (4:52)
05 - Free Flow (5:35)
06 - Fallen Destiny (6:15)
07 - Endless Motions (6:39)
08 - Brother From Jazz (6:22)
09 - Down Deep (5:55)
10 - Lust (5:33)
11 - Dimension Of Drums (4:50)
12 - Great Daine (4:48)

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VA - Cybercafé, Techno Dub Dance ( 96, 115min, 199mb)

The concept and name, Cybercafé, was invented at the beginning of 1994 by Ivan Pope. Commissioned to develop an Internet event for an arts weekend at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London. Pope wrote a proposal outlining the concept of a café with Internet access from the tables. Cybercafé was a Belgian radio program (a cooperation of Radio 21 and Ex Machina) about things World Wide Web which a year later became a tv show.



VA - Cybercafé, Techno Dub Dance (99mb)

01 - Orb, The - Little Fluffy Clouds (8:25)
02 - Leftfield - Afro-Left (7:32)
03 - Prodigy - Voodoo People (6:26)
04 - Ken Ishii - Extra (Luke Slater Remix) (6:26)
05 - Dave Angel - Airborne (6:02)
06 - Stacey Pullen - Psychotic Funk (7:35)
07 - Ian Pooley - My Anthem (7:28)
08 - Laurent Garnier - Astral Dreams (Headphone Mix) (7:52)

VA - Cybercafé, Techno Dub Dance 2 (99mb)

09 - Tata Box Inhibitors - Plasmids (Placid Mix) (11:30)
10 - Ballistic Brothers - I'll Fly Away (5:19)
11 - Biosphere - Novelty Waves (Original Mix) (6:22)
12 - Subsurfing - Frozen Ants (7:10)
13 - Aphex Twin - Digeridoo (7:09)
14 - Kitachi - Spirit (Hip Hop Dub) (5:17)
15 - Sabres Of Paradise, The - Smokebelch II (12:42)


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All downloads are in * ogg-7 (224k) or ^ ogg-9(320k), artwork is included , if in need get the nifty ogg encoder/decoder here !