I play records out from time to time. Nothing special – just pubs and bars – to anyone who’ll listen. There are certain records I’ll pack time and time again – Ain’t Nobody by Chaka Khan and You can’t hide your love by David Joseph are two that spring to mind. Records that never fail to sound good or get people dancing.
There is one record however that is a bit of a weird one. I pack it time and time again and yet never play it. Often I cue it up but it never feels quite right – sometimes it sounds too upbeat, other times too downbeat, sometimes too guitary and other times too in your face. Its a record that isn’t quite like any other record I own (and I own a fair few) its Me and Guiliani Down by the School Yard (A True Story) by !!!.
The whole package is intriguing. Take the band name - !!! – how are you supposed to pronounce that?! Then there is the packaging, lime green with black exclamation marks – you’d think it was an electroclash record from the cover. Inside is an insert which thanks the people that came to their parties that 'didn’t throw beer at cops' and the lyrics to the song which suggest that NYC Mayor’s Guiliani and Bloomberg lose their inhibitions and dance.
Finally you put the record on and this is the real revelation. For this record has three to four distinct phases – it starts out as a fairly standard Rapture/LCD Soundsystem type thing (!!! Came out of the same NY punk-funk scene post millennium) but then takes on the Happy Mondays and the Stooges before climaxing in a funky accapella. Throughout the whole song, the solid drums and an infectious bassline hold the whole thing together. It almost like the history of cool rock n roll in one song. Hints of pre punk, post punk, acid house and punk funk combine to create a thrilling 9 minutes. Bizarely its on Warp records, a label better known for its tasteful electronica.
!!! (pronounced chk-chk-chk) are actually from Sacramento and have released four albums the last of which (Strange Weather, isn't it)was recorded in Berlin and came out in the last few weeks. They've encountered tragedy along the way - their drummer Jerry Fuchs was killed in 2009 by falling down a lift shaft while original drummer Mikel Guis was killed in a car crash in 2007, they've also encountered numerous line up changes, but have managed to produce some quality sounds along the way. Myth Takes (released in 2007) is particularly good. Imagine Red Hot Chilli Peppers if they had remained true to their crazy punk funk roots rather than selling out to the man - showcasing a variety of styles, creating a sense of playful adventurism and you get the picture.
Having said that, nothing in !!!'s work quite matches Me and Guiliani. It really is a unique record, a classic on its own terms and the song which will always be the fans favourite (see also The Man Don't Give a Fuck by Super Furry Animals, Losing my Edge by LCD Soundsystem or Sanctuary by Iron Maiden). Who knows, maybe one day I'll even get to play it to you...
Every so often a record comes out that completely changes the rules, confounding expectations of what is possible. Think about the first time you heard 3 Feet High and Rising or Odelay or Entroducing. Albums so fundamentally fresh that they actually redefine what modern music is and create genres in their wake. Well, ladies and gentlemen, we might just have another…Cosmogramma is Los Angeles producer Steve Ellison’s third album as Flying Lotus following his debut 1983(which actually came out in 2006)and the excellent Los Angeles which came out two years later. It’s fair to say that it is his most realised record to date, bringing together a dizzying array of styles into a sound which, at first listen, is off kilter and confusing, but with time creates a rewarding tapestry which takes the listener on a drug induced trip into dubstep, free jazz, baroque soul techno and J-Dilla style hip hop.
The sound that Ellison and others bring to the party has, in fact, been emerging for a while now. Influenced by the UK dubstep movement the slow bassy dynamic has been taken into a new realm by producers such as Glasgow’s Hudson Mohawke, the excentric Gaslamp Killer and Lotus himself. These protagonists have moved on from the smooth electronic sounds of dubstep to create something more off-kilter or ‘wonky’ as the genre has become known in some circles. His other key influence is undoubtedly jazz, perhaps unsurprising when you consider that he is the nephew of Alice Coltrane(his cousin Ravi Coltrane plays tenor sax on the album).
The start of the record is suitably erratic - harp riffs give way to double bass all underpinned with heavy, jagged beats. Its five tracks in on Zodiac Shit that the hard beats give way to a mellow soundtracky vibe and the album shifts into a druggy dreamstate which is maintained throughout. If you are the sort of person who likes a good tune, this album is not for you. This is all about pushing boundaries, taking music onto the next level to create something truly new. That isn't to say it is necessarily difficult. There are a number of moments of beauty and even, in some sort of concession to commerciality, a number of guest vocalists including Thom Yorke and Thundercat. Its fair to say though that their vocals are used to drift in and out of the tapestry rather than to lead the charge. The Yorke track And the world laughs starts off as electro funk before giving way to the Radiohead man's claustrophobic vocal then heading off in a joyful direction at its close. This is sypmtomatic of the album as a whole - a range of emotions conveyed in quick succession - the sheer ambition of what Flying Lotus attempts here is astounding with just snatches of influences identified here and there (The Stepney-esque intro to Mmmmmm for example or the odd snippet of free jazz). The resulting take out is of one elongated piece of music which takes the listener on an otherworldly journey rather than individual songs .
Time will tell if this record is as significant as it sounds. We're only 5 months into a new decade but like Aphex Twin before him you can't help think that Ellison will spawn a host of imitaters who will spend the rest of the decade playing catch up while he leaps forward again to a new sound. If you want to know where music's future lies I suggest you buy this record. Patience will be required for it to reveal its depths but once identified this is a sonic adventure which will reward time and time again.
What’s your favourite musical genre? For me there are a number of contenders – I love the sheer excitement of a dirty drum n bass bassline. I find a good disco breakdown and build up again completely irresistible and just sometimes (especially on a Sunday morning) only a melancholy folk song will do...
Having said all of that, I’ve no hesitation when asked this question. Psychedelic soul (for that is my answer)evolved out of both the Motown artists quest for greater musical freedom and the psychedelia scene of the late 1960’s spearheaded by the Byrds and Dylan. The first protagonists were arguably Hendrix and then Sly and the Family Stone with the release of their landmark Dance to the Music in 1968. They somehow managed to capture the energy of guitar bands but maintain a soulful groove and this translated into massive sales as well as critical acclaim. Others soon followed – most notably Charles Stepney’s Rotary Connection from Chicago, Memphis’ Issac Hayes and the Norman Whitfield produced era Temptations and Undisputed Truth. The key years were probably 1969-75 by which time the psychedelic soul sound had evolved into the more fully realised and smoother produced disco movement. For some of us though it is those earlier records that capture something just a little more organic than disco but with the same infectious energy. Here’s 20 to seek out – a few classics, a few DJ favourites and just one or two oddities...if you don't agree with my selection (What, no Shuggie Otis?) then leave a comment below to let us know what you think...
20. Get ready – Rare Earth
A Temptations hit covered by a number of artists of the time, Get Ready carries the uplifting beat beloved of much psychedelic soul. Rare Earth were a white act signed to Motown and still play today. This track was a big favourite of Francis Grasso who many claim invented DJ mixing as it is recognised today. Another of their tracks Happy song was later remixed by Walter Gibbons and Francois Kevorkian.
19. Reflections - Diana Ross and the Supremes.
The trippy sounds of the time even reached Motown! This 1967 track started with the sound of a disorientated theremin and it is interspersed with various other sound effects. Even the lyrics were a departure from the likes of My Cherie Amour or Tracks of my Tears 'Through the mirror of my mind, time after time I see reflections of you and me' Diana sings. A great 60's pop single.
18. Dove – Cymande
Had to get some UK in there! Cymande really were/are a fantastic act perhaps most famous for their track BRA. This was one of their more gentle moments and like many of the tracks here has been sampled since (in this case by the Fugees). This has bongos and slide guitar to great emotional effect before a mellow climax of flute and soulful vocal – niiice.
17. A change is going to come – Baby Huey
There was a revival in Baby Huey a few years ago when his Living Legend album was reissued after various tracks were sampled by Ghostface Killah, Ice Cube and most notably Tribe Called Quest on Can I Kick it? This cover of the Sam Cooke classic takes the listener into the heart of the drugs experience with Huey talking about his own personal drug journey during the breakdown. Cooke’s original version of this song of course showed its continued relevance when selected by Barack Obama as his campaign theme song (although i'm not sure the president elect was actively endorsing the intensive use of hallucinogenics!).
16. Time has come today – Chambers brothers
Another one from the dawn of the psychedelic/soul fusion. Coming out in 1966 this 11 minute sprawling epic almost hit the American top 10 which says much about the experimental nature of the times. The Chambers Brothers were a folk band from Mississippi and split in 1972.
15. Red Moon – Fugi
There is some ambiguity as to whether Ellington ‘ Fugi’ Johnson and Black Merda (see number 9) were actually the same act but is actually more likely that they recorded together. Either way, this track is a wonderful fusion of soul and the emerging rock sounds of the day.
14. He’s a superstar – Roy Ayers
Ayer’s homage to Jesus is one of the very best tracks from his catalogue. The female backing vocals lift this onto a spiritual plain. I saw Roy Ayers play the jazz cafe a few years ago and at one point he jumped into the crowd right next to me...play He’s a Superstar I urged...it didn’t happen of course but I felt better for letting him know that he should revisit it one day!
13. Tomcat – Muddy Waters
A number of established acts dabbled with psychedelia including Muddy Waters. This featured on the Electric Mud album which came about at the suggestion of Marshall Chess who wanted to re-invigorate the bluesman’s faltering career. The album dived in the states but was better regarded in the UK (Waters himself later disowned the recording). This particular track was re-discovered by DJ David Holmes on one of his many funk compilations.
12. Everyday people - Sly and the Family Stone
Sly's plea for racial tolerance was the band's first number one single in 1968 and did much to secure them a spot at the rock dominated Woodstock. The Stand album from which Everyday People was taken was a landmark release of the genre and included Don't call me nigger whitey as well as the title track. Different strokes for different folks indeed...
11. Superstar – Society of Seven
This one is an unlikely winner and has been championed by Mr Thing amongst others. Recorded by a Hawaiian hotel band (who still record til this day)this is a departure from their usual covers of standards of the day and is a fantastic example of the uptempo energy of soul music from this era. Expect to pay about £30 for the album its on (Simply Ourselves).
10. Chicago, Damn – Bobbi Humphry
One of the more mellow tracks on the list. This shows how the template of soul was taken into more extended forms via jazz. Humphry was the first female instrumentalist to record for Blue Note and as fine a flautist as you are likely to hear. The whole of her debut Blacks and Blues album that this comes from is superb.
9. For You – Black Merda
For you I could do anything...I do my best to make you feel like a queen – a simple message of unrequited love. This track has a real gospel feel and comes from the Detroit band’s album Long Burn the Fire on Janus, a subsidiary of Chess records. Black Merda considered themselves the first black rock band and enjoyed a short lived career but reformed in 2005 after diggers picked up on their records.
8. If there’s a hell below – Curtis Mayfield
With Chess and Cadet in town, Chicago was a major contributor to the psychedelic soul scene. As well as the acts listed here (Rotary Connection, Minnie Riperton) there were the Chi-lites and the Independents to name but two. Undoubtedly one of the most important artists though was Curtis Mayfield (formerly of the Impressions). There’s a hell below touches on another key theme of the era – racial harmony – these days its unlikely a song could reference Niggers, Jews, Whiteys and then go on to talk about how they’re all going to end up in hell anyway but then the 1970s were a very different time!
7. Undisputed truth – Smiling faces sometimes
An act put together by Norman Whitfield to enable him to master the sound that would become psychedelic soul. The band had a lengthy recording career from which there are many highlights but this was their only hit. Lyrically the song reflected the drug induced paranioa of the times (Smiling faces sometimes..they don't tell the truth). The song was also recorded by other psych soul acts the Temptations and Rare Earth.
6. Black Gold of the Sun – Rotary Connection
A Stepney production and another stone cold classic. Notably covered by NuYorcan Soul who introduced it to a whole new generation. Stepney’s orchestration, Sidney Barnes’ wonderful deep voice and Minnie Riperton’s unbelievable high octave range combine to devastating effect.
5. Morning Glory/Life and Death Pt 1/White Rose – Chairmen of the Board
Like the Parliament track below, was originally released on Lamont Dozier’s post Motown Inviticus label. A movement rather than a song it builds round a heavy bass groove and is largely instrumental. Heavy but melodic.
4. Come in out of the rain – Parliament
People don’t really think of George Clinton as psychedelic soul – rather the architect of P funk. This 1972 track however clearly toys with psych soul themes of civil rights and Vietnam and features a great vocal performance. A big favourite of Norman Jay amongst others.
3. Ike’s Mood – Issac Hayes
Heavily sampled – most notably by Massive Attack on Blue Lines, Issac Hayes arguably gave birth to orchesteral Soul with his landmark Hot Buttered Soul album. This came later on To Be Continued and is perhaps the ultimate realisation of the Hayes vision. The piano break is unbelievably tender and the strings combine to send real shivers up the spine – the sense of space in the whole track clearly had an influence on the Bristol artists some two decades later. Magnificent.
2. Law of the Land – The Temptations
Another stone cold classic and played by everyone from Nicky Siano at the Gallery(who used to mix it with James Brown’s Give it Up) to David Mancuso at the Loft. This has an unbelievably funky groove underpinned by a driving beat. Motown writer Norman Whitfield (himself the writer of I Heard it Through the Grapevine) brought the modern sound to the already established Temptations and produced what is arguably their best work – Cloud Nine, Papa Was a Rolling Stone and this personal favourite
1. Les Fleurs – Minnie Ripperton
Like heaven on ecstasy – the juxtaposition of Minnie’s voice with Charles Stepney’s orchestration makes for an irresistible end of nighter and is one of the all time classic club records. Recorded on Minnie’s debut LP Come Into My Garden the track is an ode to the physical joy of love. Stepney gives Minnie free reign in the chorus before letting rip on the instrumentation in the style of the rush from the Beatle’s Day in the Life – a perfect melding of human and instrument. The song I walked down the Aisle to...
I was originally going to review this album upon its release about a month ago – I didn’t simply because I couldn’t get my head around it. It’s taken that time to fathom out exactly what is going on here. San Diego born Gonjasufi’s influences, to my ears, include the Stooges, Issac Hayes, the Beta band, the Muslim call to prayer, Frank Zappa and middle eastern funk and yet it doesn’t really sound like any of them. Snaps of beats and guitars are sung over in a voice that is at best earthy and to some ears at least, shambolic. Easy listening this ain’t.
Despite being on Warp records, Gonjasufi is a close associate of Flying Lotus and his Brainfeeder collective. Both Lotus himself and labelmate Gaslamp Killer have provided production on the album. If you’ve heard work by either of the two A Sufi and a killer is closer in sound to Gaslamp’s earthy beats than the cleaner digital sound of Flying Lotus. This isn’t really comparable to say Lotus’ LA LP or Hudsun Mohawke and other exponents of the ‘wonky’ sound as it’s become known instead drawing on the history of rock n roll to create something new.
The album starts with a real middle eastern vibe reminding this listener of the many Turkish psych reissues of recent years. The early highlight is the sitar driven Ancestors which, of all the tracks on the album, is the one that sounds most like Flying Lotus. Directly following it is Sheep which sees Gonja singing rather bafflingly about being a sheep rather than a lion, one of a number of tracks touching on religious themes lyrically. Somehow it still manages to be a quite lovely foray into folk music of a sort. He then moves onto a number of pieces (many tracks are less than two minutes long which makes the term song somewhat redundant) which evoke the spirit of garage rock n roll and acid rock – my personal favourite is Cowboys and Indians which starts off as a Sabbath stoner riff before being overlaid with African harmonies. Following track Suzie Q meanwhile summons the spirit of Iggy Pop. The third quarter is my favourite part of the album, drawing on orchestral soul and even disco. The beat on Change sounds like it could have been lifted directly from Hot Buttered Soul while Dust and Candylane provide different variations on p funk style grooves. This isn't simply a retro trip however as the cut up beats and Gonja's unique singing style create a frazzled but innovative approach which recalls both the strung out blues of the Mojave desert (where he resides) and the sounds of the current LA abstract hip hop scene. The final part of the album again has a real acid rock vibe at its heart (although both the Chemical Brothers and hip hop are in there somewhere) with Gonja’s melancholy vocals providing an emotional pull. ‘This rogue path I’m on I know is the only way’ he mumbles on Holidays and one can’t help but feel this is his approach to not only his music making but also his life.
Final song Made is a lovely coda which gives way to a bizarre reinterpretation of Status Quo’s Pictures of Matchstick Men. Somehow this feels entirely appropriate – as if the spirit of psychedelic music of 60's London has been passed to the crazed fuzzy beatmakers of the West coast.
Despite the range of sources and the crazy vocals it never quite falls apart. Admitedly on occassion it feels like a little too many ideas are crammed in - a greater sense of space would be nice, but Gonja’s magpie like tendencies bring to mind some wildly eclectic mixtape made by your cooler younger brother. This is indeed a wonderful mess. Gonja Sufi’s achievement is that he’s managed to create something clearly influenced by what has come before and yet something completely new. What that something is I’m not exactly sure – this is a form of music which is truly unclassifiable and for that reason alone this could be an important album. I suspect it will appeal to music critics and musicians in particular – people who take their music really seriously (I note that this week Jim Goodwin of the Doves was raving about it) and as such its influence may take some time to be felt or perhaps it is destined to be merely a cult classic. Either way, if you are serious about hearing where music is heading (as well as where it has been) you should seek this out.
It’s difficult to pin down exactly what makes the Boards of Canada’s sound so satisfying. Their albums barely carry a tune let alone a song and the beats are neither cutting edge nor dancey. Instead they invoke a gentle nostalgia of 1970’s childhoods, nature documentaries and sitting out under the stars.
Based in the west of Scotland, the duo (Marcus Eoin and Michael Sandison) began their career on the Skam label. EP’s Twoism, Hi Scores and a number of remixes brought them to wider attention before their debut album Music has the Right for Children was released on Warp Records in 1998. It was instantly proclaimed a classic by both the aging dance intelligencia and critics alike. Chill out was the sound of the day with Air, Kruder and Dorfmeister et al bridging the underground and the mainstream to soundtrack coffee shops from Shoreditch to Shetland. Boards of Canada sat uneasily with these acts, sharing a stoned ambient melancholy and yet very different. Whereas these acts took soulful vocals and filled late night mixes, Music was almost entirely instrumental and reflected a rural, folksy vibe which would pre-empt the likes of Kieron Hebden, Joanna Newsom and the rest of the so called ‘Folktronica’ movement some five years later.
The influences on the album were difficult to pin down; Aphex Twin’s more esoteric moments were there as was hip hop but so was dialogue from TV nature programmes and spooky children’s voices – the effect was slightly unsettling. At a time in history where everyone cherishes the new and where uptempo music is the flavour of the day this analogue recorded downbeat record was a strange thing indeed. The duo’s reluctance for both interviews and live dates added to the sense of intrigue and little else (save for a John Peel session and a four track EP) was heard until 2002’s Geogaddi.
One again, this felt like a record out of time. By now, the charts were awash with new wave style guitar acts and most electronic innovation could be found in American R&B producers such as Timberland and the Neptunes rather than the dance movement where stadium rock style DJs were delivering consistently below par albums. Geogaddi ‘s song titles included Dawn Chorus, Dandelion and The Beach at Redpoint and once again, the grooves reflected more of a rural folk tradition than what one might term urban music. Yet it certainly wasn’t folk music either with off kilter beats and synthesizers recalling both other Warp acts and the progressive skyscapes of Tangerine Dream. Clever use of samples ensured a clear identity for each part of the record and preventing things becoming too repetitive (it is fair to say that Boards of Canada’s music isn’t particularly varied). It was arguably darker than the debut with Dawn Chorus in particular creating a sense of nauseous detachment and alienation with its slowed down synthesizer waves. 2005’s Campfire Headphase saw perhaps their most rounded sound to date with acoustic guitars being added on some tracks to give their strongest melodies to date. Dayvan Cowboy in particular sounded like a proper single and it later featured heavily on a six track EP (their latest release to date) Trans Canada Highway.
Boards of Canada will never sell a lot of records nor will they release a groundbreaking album of classic songs. What they will continue to do however is provide us with soundtracks that inspire, create a yearning for lost childhood, home and feelings of warmth inside and for that we should be grateful for rarely does electronic music create such an emotional pull.
It's all about the music - blogger for a little while, DJ for much longer, record collector for a lifetime - talking about all music as long as its good...follow for a varied musical palate delivered for your delectation - hidden gems, new reviews, appreciations, genre top 20's and whatever else comes to mind
