"How did I get here?" as David Byrne once said. I know what he means. It's been a pretty crappy year in many respects, but music - and blogging about music - has been my salve, my safe space, my springboard back into the, at times, sheer madness of the wider world.
"What, no mega-mix?" as Ernie Goggins commented yesterday. Well, I'd always planned a Dubhed selection to sum up 2023 and see in 2024. Thankfully, it's not a 24-hour marathon attempting to squeeze everything in. Instead, it's a much more ear-friendly party mix at a smidge over an hour, sampling 17 tracks (and one interview snippet) including one song which didn't even make yesterday's end of year list!
This may be the only place today where you will hear Balearic, post-punk, downtempo, travelogue, dub, house, alternative, r 'n' b, politics, jazz and psychedelia all cut and pasted together. As I said to Ernie, more manic- than mega-mix. I think it turned out surprisingly well.
I have no plans for Dubhed to slow down in 2024, so expect more of the usual make-it-up-as-I go-along nonsense on a daily basis, inspired as ever by the music that soundtracks my life and keeps me going through good and bad times.
On that note, a
massive thank you again to you all for your continued support this year,
it really means a lot. I hope that however you are spending New Year's
Eve, it's a good one and that 2024 brings you much joy and happiness.
Happy New Year!
Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!
Bliadhna Mhath ùr!
Athbhliain Faoi Mhaise Dhuit!
Bonne Année!
Ευτυχισμένο το νέο έτος!
Feliz Año Nuevo!
Щасливого Нового року!
1) Ride A Cloud (Xavi's Campfire Mix - Khayem's Nice 'n' Splicey Edit): The Woodentops ft. Kyoko Sato *
2) Master Of Time: Jah Wobble
3) That Time Of Night (Hardway Bros Meet Monkton Uptown Dub): GLOK ft. Shiarra
4) Lack Of Sleep (Pye Corner Audio Remix): Maps
5) Cleanse Your Guilt Here: Algiers
6) Somehow It Feels Important (Auren Remix): Hairdressa
7) Tender Years: Robert Forster
8) I Laugh Myself To Sleep: David Holmes ft. Raven Violet
9) "do you wanna know what's changed about the music industry?": David Holmes **
10) Many Hands (Retroforward Dubbin' Hands Remix): D:Ream
11) Brigada (Single Version): Bárbara Boeing ft. Phil Mill
12) Baba Louie: Jaimie Branch ft. Akenya Seymour & Kuma Dog
13) Go On Dub (Adrian Sherwood 'Reset In Dub’ Version): Panda Bear & Sonic Boom
* This is possibly the laziest edit I've ever done. I've simply laid a copy of the mix on the other, with a 20-second delay and (roughly) beat matched. I like the repetition of Kyoko Sato's voice, so this version stayed in.
2023 has been a phenomenal year for music...but then again, if I get forensic with the detail, I think that every year is a phenomenal year for music. And yet...
I couldn't hope to whittle my recommendations down to a Top Ten or 'best of', so here is a still woefully incomplete list of singles/EPs and albums released this year which I have loved and played repeatedly (apart from a few, which I've only purchased this month but have loved just as much).
There's no commentary this time - too many on the list, too little time - but I've included links so that you can listen and/or purchase for yourself. Enjoy!
Sorry, a bit later than usual posting this, due to a Clan K excursion last night and a bit of a lie-in this morning. A warning: this is a big one, you might need a Thermos flask and packed lunch to get you through.
Oh, this is difficult. Even trying to nail down some of my favourite versions - covers, remixes and reimaginings - of 2023 has proved to be an insurmountable task.
Therefore, I've picked out just 23 listed alphabetically by artist. Some I've been enjoying for many months, one in particular (The Woodentops) was a last minute addition, having belatedly discovered it via Swiss Adam's year end run down at Bagging Area.
Strap in, there's a wild ride ahead!
Jango Mango: Ademarr & Joseeph
EP released via Roam Recodings in July, featuring the original version plus standout remixes from Darlyn Vlys and Iñigo Vontier.
Tender (Cover of Blur): The Anchoress
For the past year or so, Catherine Anne Davies released a cover version per month, available for a limited time on Bandcamp. Many of them were subsequently collected for this year's excellent Versions album.
Tender, originally released in 2021, didn't make the album cut but it did get a physical release in April, as the third of a series of limited edition EPs. The EP has long since sold out and the song has vanished from t'internet. To give you a taste of how good it is/was, here's an extract (KF) (Mega).
Gorgeous, isn't it?
Njalo: Cee ElAssaad ft. Bongi Mvuyana
Morrocco meets South Africa with stunning results. Njalo has been burning a hole in my speakers since February and comes in three versions: the original full vocal, dub and instrumental; all superb.
Yeah x 3: David Holmes ft. Raven Violet
I could have picked any of David's singles, whether with Unloved or Raven Violet, as highlights of the year, to be honest. Yeah x 3 was released in November, with a diverse range of remixes from Panda Bear & Sonic Boom, Jordan Nocturne, X-Press 2 and a couple of beauties from Gary Irwin aka The Vendetta Suite.
I was down a specific Transglobal Underground rabbit hole, which led me to the Violins Against Bombs RMX album, featuring 10 reworks of the original 2022 album by TGU along with Fluo Sobre, Rafael Aragon, Dunkelbunt, MiRET and Recycler. Now available as a name your price/free download, so what have you got to lose?
Unchanged (GLOK Remix): Dot Allison
Dot Allison meets Andy Bell on a dub excursion that evokes yet avoids mimicking the majesty of One Dove. Released in June and a perfect companion piece to their respective releases this year.
Other Skies: Electric Blue Vision
As mentioned in yesterday's post, Sean Johnston and Duncan Gray have been on fire this year with standalone remixes and releases. However, when they come together as Hardway Bros Meet Monkton Uptown, the listener is in for a dub excursion par excellence.
Other Skies, the second single by Electric Blue Vision by Emilia Harmony and Jesse Fahnestock, broke cover in November, the sublime original also channeling the spirit of One Dove. The remixes took the song in wildly different directions, all worth the trip.
Confessions Of An Ageing Party Girl: Emily Breeze
A 2020 single and highlight of this year's Rapture album, March saw the release of a remix by Massive Attack's Daddy G (Grant Marshall) and Robot Club (Stew Jackson). Not available on Bandcamp but available through most of the usual places.
If you're a regular visitor to the essential music blog No Badger Required - and if you aren't, I urge you to start right now - then you'll have spotted that I referenced it over there as my track of 2023. Thanks, SWC!
Cello Song (Cover of Nick Drake): Fontaines D.C.
I was slow to listen to Fontaines D.C.'s second album Skinty Fia this year - my mistake - and to their singular take on the Nick Drake back in March. My fellow blog travellers have written about why this is the epitome of what a great cover version should be and they are absolutely spot on. If I heard this in complete ignorance, I'd think it was a stunning song. The fact that it may inspire listeners to check out not just Fontaines D.C. but Nick Drake can only be a good thing.
Cello Song features on the album The Endless Coloured Ways: The Songs Of Nick Drake, which I could easily have included in my list of favourite compilations yesterday.
Shakatak: Gaudi
Woah, come back. If you're worried that this March 2023 release is a tribute to the '80s white English jazz-funk band, rest assured. Daniele Gaudi delivers another colossal slice of dub, especially on the 'ReRub' version.
Pez (bdrmm Remix): GIFT
This all started with A Place To Bury Strangers, specifically their remix album See Through You Rerealized which featured separate remixes by GIFT and bdrmm. I wasn't familiar with either band and little trawl of Bandcamp unearthed their respective back catalogues. The two come together on this remix, released in August as a precursor to GIFT's debut album, Momentary Presence, a couple of months later. Check 'em all out.
Dirty Hugs (Richard Sen Remix): GLOK
The Pattern Recognition album got a 3-track remix EP in March, a great month for releases, in retrospect. Hardway Bros Meet Monkton Uptown and Tom Sharkett from W.H. Lung set the bar high but Richard Sen has no difficulty in holding his own and taking the original 20-minute trip on a wild chase through the city's nightlife.
A Night In Siolim (A Space Age Freak Out Remix): Högt I Tak
Paisley Dark Records have been a go-to with each release, not just for the high quality electronica but the calibre of remixes. Label boss John Paynter proves that you don't need to outsource to produce something quite special, as his Space Age Freak Out remix from December amply demonstrates.
I Am The Fly (Cover of Wire): Jah Wobble
The Wob made a raucous return (not that he's ever been away) with a slew of new albums in 2023, August's A Brief History Of Now revisiting his punk/post-punk stylings with fellow traveller Jon Klein. Their cover of Wire's I Am The Fly was an unexpected treat, Klein on vocals and Jah Wobble working his usual bass magic.
And, as a bonus treat, here's the man himself showing you how it's done (and yes, Mike, he is playing more than one string!)
Arabiklan (Rude Audio Remix): James Rod
Another top notch Paisley Dark remix package, this time in May, with an artist that I wasn't that familiar with. James Rod provides two classy originals with Synthetic Glory and Arabiklan, handing them over to Mindbender, Hunterbräu, Högt I Tak and Man2.0. Rude Audio aka Mark Ratcliff delivers a blinder.
Trading Places: Jezebell
I've written previously about Trading Places, issued as a pair of EPs in April, offering up 'daytime' and nighttime' versions. All excellent, but the 6PM version gets a special mention for the delightful cameo by Siouxsie Sioux, expertly woven in by Jesse Fahnestock and Darren Bell. Available as a name your price/free download.
Phoenix (Cover of The Cult): JIM
First off, apologies that I've completely forgotten which music blog introduced me to this cover version and JIM (Jim Baron) in general, as I doubt I would have found him or the rather lovely Love Makes Magic album otherwise. Originally issued in June, the 10-song album included this fine cover, swapping bollock rock for Balearic acoustica to brilliant effect.
Bridge To Heaven (Sonic Boom Bass Remix): John Massoni
Another chance discovery this year whilst searching for Sonic Boom related items was his collaboration with John Massoni on the 8-track EP, Think Of Me When You Hear Waves. A further Sonic Boom remix of Bridge To Heaven, stretching things even further to just under ten minutes, shimmered into view in August.
Willow's Song (Richard Norris Ritual Mix): Katy J Pearson
Katy J Pearson recorded a whole bunch of covers for The Wicker Man EP, released in October to celebrate the film of the same name's 50th anniversary. Katy had originally recorded Willow's Song as the closer of her 2022 album Sound Of The Morning and the Richard Norris remix came out in June this year. A strong contender for remix - and track - of the year and perfectly aligned with his own mighty dub workouts as Oracle Sounds.
Edge Of The Edge Dub (Adrian Sherwood 'Reset In Dub’ Version): Panda Bear & Sonic Boom
August - another solid month for great music - saw the third iteration of the Reset album, following the original and 'Songbook + Instrumentals' versions. Here, Adrian Sherwood puts the entire thing through a dub rinse which promises much and somehow manages even then to exceed expectations. Much as I love Noah Lennox and Pete Kember's collaboration, Reset In Dub takes the music to another plane of existence.
Expansions Dub (Cover of Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes): Prince Fatty ft. Shniece McMenamin
Not the only cover version that Prince Fatty shared in 2023 though arguably one that I wasn't expecting at all. With Shniece on the mic and Fatty at the controls, the listener is in safe hands and the dub version feels even more like a big aural hug. Another August highlight.
Fitzroy Avenue (BFP Acid-Flex Mix By Bedford Falls Players): Warriors Of The Dystotheque ft. Joe Duggan
We're on the home stretch now with yet another Paisley Dark winner, going all the way back to March. This is a generous 8-track digital EP, with a bonus hidden ninth 'No Effects Vox' version, i.e. just Joe Duggan. Tons of great remixes by Mindbender, Högt I Tak, Hunterbräu, Ed Mahon, Jezebell and this one from the ever excellent Mark Cooper aka Bedford Falls Players.
Ride A Cloud (Coyote Remix): The Woodentops
The Woodentops released Ride A Cloud, with remixes by Coyote and Andres y Xavi, in June and somehow I managed to miss it completely. Thankfully, Swiss Adam to the rescue with his own end of year round up meant that I discovered this wonderful 3-tracker and it's ended up here just in time to wind things down after that marathon workout.
Tomorrow, I'll be trying hard to pick some more 2023 favourites. Heaven help me.
Coming back to these end of year reviews, I was surprised at how many compilations I've bought in the last 12 months, both single and various artist collections.
This is some - but not all - of the 2023 releases I'd recommend for further listening, ordered by title.
Broken Hearts & Messed Up Minds - The Remix Album: D:Ream
I'll be honest, I wasn't that bothered by D:Ream back in the 1990s. In fact, the only single that I bought of theirs was Unforgiven and that only because of the Leftfield remixes on the CD single. However, I really liked 2021 single Meet Me At Midnight and this prompted me to check out Open Hearts Open Minds, their first album in a decade.
Broken Hearts & Messed Up Minds is a 21-track behemoth of a remix compilation, featuring versions by Justin Robertson, Pete Bones, Leo Zero, Pete Herbert, Rich Lane, Dan Wainwright...too many to mention, really, and all excellent. If pushed to pick a favourite, it would have to be the brace of remixes by Hardway Brothers Meet Monkton Uptown aka Sean Johnston and Duncan Gray.
Culture Bunker 1978-82: The Teardrop Explodes
June saw the long-promised box set compiling singles, B-sides, rarities, outtakes, demos and live performances. Incredibly, given the previous deep mining of The Teardrop Explodes' relatively brief existence on expanded editions of their two albums and other collections, this set boasted over 50 previously unreleased versions. Most of these were retrieved from cassettes in Julian Cope's archive and therefore aren't high end quality recordings but that's the only thing about this package that isn't top notch.
My budget wouldn't stretch to the 7LP vinyl edition so I went for the 6CD version, which boasts more tracks in total and is no less beautiful and artifact. Housed in a 10" slip case, with a separate wallet for the individually sleeved and titled CDs, you also get a lavishly illustrated book featuring lengthy musings by Mick Houghton. And of course, the music is fantastic, whether the sublime single version of Bouncing Babies, a 1979 performance of Beauty Comes Second at the Trinity in Bristol or Cope and David Balfe's 1982 demo of Count To Ten And Run For Cover. Worth every penny.
FSOLdigital Presents 2023: The Future Sound Of London
They've been going for much longer, but I started getting Brian Dougans and Garry Cobain's 'FSOL calendar' during lockdown in 2020 and I've returned to FSOLdigital each year since. You pay upfront and a track drops each month, gradually creating a 12-track compilation of roughly an hour's duration.
All of the music is exclusive, some of it created in-year, some of it from the archives and under their numerous aliases and guises. Unusually, all but one of this year's 'calendar' pieces has been by The Future Sound Of London, with November's offering being a brand new track by Humanoid. The final track will be released on 31st December before the cycle starts all over again in 2024. For a disparate set of songs drip-fed through the year, the end results make for a satisfying complete album and listening experience.
You can buy this calendar (and previous years) via Bandcamp and the FSOLdigital shop, but stick with the latter if you want to get in early on FSOLdigital Presents 2024.
Gateway Mechanics: Live Electronic Sound: GLOK
Gutted though I was to miss experiencing Andy Bell doing his thing as GLOK in person a couple of months ago, I could at least retreat into the session that he performed for Electronic Sound magazine in June 2022 and released as an album at the end of September. Spanning the two albums Andy has released under his psychedelic, space-faring non de plume, it's 45 minutes of sheer sonic bliss.
Heavenly Remixes 7 & 8: Various Artists
Like the D:Ream remix compilation, it's almost impossible to pick out a favourite. I went for the 2-CD, 21-track edition and each one is packed full with quality tunes.
David Holmes is well represented. There are two remixes of It's Over, If We Run Out Of Love, his superb single with Raven Violet, by Hardway Bros (Sean Johnston again) followed by Lovefingers & Heidi Lawden. Unloved, who enjoyed a great 2023 in their own right with the Polychrome mini-album and remix EP, get the treatment here from Horse Meat Disco and Black Science Orchestra aka Ashley Beedle.
The standout for me, which I already owned but shines so brightly on this compilation is You Won't Be The Same (Dub) It's a stunning 10-minute bass-driven workout by Dan Carey, soaring synths and tinkling keys and clanging guitar chords, which originally appeared on the 2015 Join The Dubs EP by TOY.
One of the reasons why, in my opinion, Heavenly has continued to be such a brilliant label.
Jezebellearic Beats Volume 1: Jezebell
Jezebell is Jesse Fahnestock and Darren Bell, who only started releasing music in November 2021 but in that time have amassed a mightily impressive catalogue of original music, re-edits and remixes. Jezebellearic Beats is the culmination of that, compiling 20 songs into a sweeping yet tightly sequenced double album. And it's being released on vinyl in 2024, so we're talking about a 'proper' double album here.
You may be spotting a theme, but I really can't pick a favourite track though more because Jezebellearic Beats works so brilliantly as an album to listen to in a single sitting. Music spotters will delight in the little gems that Jesse and Darren drop into their music, e.g. I'm certain that their re-edit of Kajagoogoo slips in a bit of bass from Dissidents by Thomas Dolby. But the point is, whether you find things or not, their care and attention to detail does not in the least detract from making music that moves you, both physically and emotionally.
I bought the digital album in August and forked out again when the vinyl edition was announced without hesitation. As an added reward for the latter, you get an bonus 2-hour mix by Jesse and Darren of the entire compilation which is a thing of beauty in it's own right, plus an exclusive new track A Dangerous Side, which won't get a separate release. At the time of posting, there were only 9 copies of the vinyl album left for pre-order, so I'd get in quick if I were you. And the new song demonstrates that the compilation's 'Volume 1' suffix is not an overambitious claim.
Live At Red Rocks Amphitheatre 2023: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
I'm a relative newcomer to King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and I've dipped my toe in with a couple of their releases on Bandcamp, the Willoughby's Beach EP from 2011 and last year's remix companion Butterfly 3001. There are lots of live compilations available too and whilst I was drawn to Live At Red Rocks '22 and it's jaw-droppingly VFM 86 songs for 20 Australian Dollars (just over a tenner in British currency), I also baulked at the sheer volume of music for an uninitiated listener.
Instead, I hopped over to the Internet Archive and found their Red Rocks set from June 2023. They played three shows: one on 7th June, followed by two shows (early and late) the next day. I went for the latter two, collectively coming in at three hours and forty minutes. I've no idea if either contains any "hits" but the music certainly hits hard, heavy motorik grooves and distorted vocals that alternate between screeching and melodic. Nearly half the set averages 10-15 minutes, with some 'shorter' songs interspersed. Listen to just one of the sets and you'll be fully baked by the end. Stick a fork in my ass and turn me over, I'm done.
Official Bootleg 006, 007 & 008: The The
Whilst The The is gearing up for a world tour in 2024 and the promise of a new, full-band, non-soundtrack album, their official website has been steadily releasing a series of 'Official Bootleg' CDs for ten quid a pop in the past few years.
There were three releases in 2023: 006 features a live TV set (and 'backchat') from 1995; 007 leaps forward five years with a live set from the Naked Self tour in Germany; the recently released 008 goes back to a set from 1989's The The Versus The World tour. Many of these have been available before as unofficial bootlegs but the clean up quality is great and whilst there are no extensive liner notes and sketchy detail about the source of some of the material, as a listening experience they do not disappoint.
See Through You Rerealized: A Place To Bury Strangers
I've written about this album previously, an on spec purchase with little knowledge of A Place To Bury Strangers history and recorded music. It turned out to be a spot on purchase, not just for the recognisable artists such as Trentemøller, Xiu Xiu, Sonic Boom. It also introduced me to several artists who were new to me - GIFT, Grimoose and bdrmm - whose I've since discovered and enjoyed. The remix that drew me in and which remains the highlight for me is (no surprise, perhaps) by GLOK aka Andy Bell at his most brooding and sinister.
Smalltown Supersound Remix Anthology Vol. 1-4 2002-2022: Various Artists
This was a no-brainer, really.
Previously released separately (well, volumes 1-3 at least), the digital version of the combined 4-volume set offers 40 tracks for a mere ten US dollars. Bjørn Torske, Prins Thomas, The Orb, Joe Goddard, Ricardo Villalobos, Laurel Halo remixing Neneh Cherry, Lindstrøm, Carmen Villain and Kelly Lee Owens featuring John Cale...mightily impressive from start to end.
Tucked away at the end of volume 3 is this beauty from 2015: Todd Rundgren, Emil Nikolaisen and Hans-Peter Lindstrøm remixed by Stereolab (Tim Gane) and The High Llamas (Sean O'Hagan).
Stax Uncovered! Written In Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos - A Mojo Sampler: Various Artists
I wouldn't normally include a cover-mounted CD with a music magazine but Mojo really delivered the goods with this 15-track sampler of the mammoth 7CD, 146-track compilation of the same name released in June this year. Budgetary constraints mean that the 'parent' compilation won't be on my shopping list so Mojo magazine's primer is an excellent distillation of some fantastic songs on a fantastic label.
Every one a winner, though a special mention for Mack Rice's run through of Respect Yourself and the sizzling Too Much Sugar For A Dime by Bettye Crutcher.
tici taci Decade Volumes 1-4: Various Artists
I wish I could say I had my finger on the pulse and got in on Duncan Gray's tici taci label back in 2013. Sadly not but these four collections, each spanning 2-3 years and featuring tracks not previously available on Bandcamp, do a superb job of summing up the incredible quality of releases in the past decade. Impossible to refer to this music without mentioning 'chug', 'compelling', 'propulsive' and 'infectious' as ways in which the music gets inside you and carries you along.
An impressive roster of artists over the years, including Tronik Youth, Rude Audio and Dan Wainwright, Rich Lane, Peza and Tim Dorney, though Duncan Gray's own work sets the bar high throughout.
I also bought a fair few compilations this year that were released prior to 2023. I'll probably come back to them in separate posts next year.
