Loop Da Loop Da Loop

Side 1 of a mixtape, recorded sometime in 1999 and bringing another half dozen tracks with rolling beats and repetitive rhythms.

 

The selection starts off with Mark Pritchard reuniting with former Global Communication partner Tom Middleton for a remix/edit of the latter's Summer In Space, released in 1999 under his Cosmos moniker. It's a jazzy, syncopated saunter along the starways. 

 

The boys are back later on with one of their final releases as Global Communication, here remixed by DJ/artist Davidson Ospina, born and raised in Queens, New York and bringing some pulsing, insistent grooves to the floor.

 

Over in Washington DC, Jean-Phillippe Aviance and Victor Imbres aka Alcatraz take on Apollo 440's tribute to Gene Krupa. A cracking tune in it's original form, the remix stretches out the ride to nearly 11 minutes without missing a beat. 

Meanwhile in Europe... German duo Hardfloor meet Dutch duo Work for a meeting of the minds on 1995 single Mahogany Roots, with suitably explosive results.

Side 2 opens with Ben Watkins aka Juno Reactor, but his first appearance on this mixtape is as co-writer (with Wonder Schneider, one half of Secret Knowledge) of Traci Lords' 1994 single Control. Traci first gained notoriety in the adult film industry before moving into mainstream acting and then music, duetting with Manic Street Preachers in 1992 then releasing a solo album (produced by Watkins) called 1000 Fires a couple of years later. 

Bringing this side to a close in spectacular fashion is Leftfield with Afro Ride, as remix of Leftism album highlight Afro-Left and featuring Djum Djum, who they'd previously collaborated with on the 1990 single Difference. Afro Ride takes the original, takes it for a night on the tiles and ends up at a heaving club, nine minutes feeling like it could go on forever.

1) Summer In Space (Mark Pritchard Edit): Cosmos ft. David Laudat (1999)

2) Mahogany Roots (Work Remix By Olav Basoski & Erick Eerdhuijzen): Hardfloor (1995)

3) Krupa (Alcatraz Within The Joint Remix vs. @440) (Remix By Jean-Phillippe Aviance & Victor Imbres): Apollo 440 (1996)

4) The Way (Davidson Ospina Mix): Global Communication (1996)

5) Control (DJ E FX San Frandisco Dub): Traci Lords (1994)

6) Afro-Left (Afro Ride) (Remix By Neil Barnes & Paul Daley): Leftfield ft. Djum Djum (1995)

 

Side Two (45:31) (Box) (Mega)

Side One here

The Perception Of The Movement Of One's Own Body

Side 2 of a mixtape entitled Kinesthesia, originally compiled in 1998 for my brother and sister-in-law and re-recorded for my own collection on 13th and 14th May 1999.

Whereas Side 1 was a straight reproduction of the track listing, for some long-forgotten reason I decided to tweak Side 2, swapping a remix of the opening track by Radiohead for the album version and replacing Saint Etienne for Mulu. 

 

Guitars at the forefront of this selection, even with the remixes, Massive Attack roughing up Manic Street Preachers, Rosetta Stone adding a touch of Goth to Mulu and Sub Sub on the cusp of throwing off their club clothes and dressing up as Doves, with assistance from Tricky. 

 

A few beat-heavy classic tracks from Armand Van Helden, Djum Djum and Leftfield and Fatboy Slim's tribute to former Beats International colleague Lindy Layton to add some spice to the mix. Pulp go full on sonic assault with Party Hard whilst Bran Van 3000 up the ante with an escalating, squalling closer, proving they could have been more than one-hit wonders.

1) Planet Telex (Album Version): Radiohead (1995)

2) If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next (Massive Attack Remix): Manic Street Preachers (1996)

3) Daaboodaa Munks: Armand Van Helden (1997)

4) Difference (Steng Mix By Djum Djum, Leftfield & Mat Clark) (Edit): Djum Djum (1990)

5) Pussycat (Rosetta Stone Mix By Porl King & Karl North): Mulu (1997)

6) Song For Lindy: Fatboy Slim (1996)

7) Smoking Beagles: Sub Sub ft. Tricky (1996)

8) Reflection: Massive Attack (1998)

9) Party Hard (Album Version): Pulp (1998)

10) Forest (Album Remix): Bran Van 3000 (1998)

1995: The Bends: 1

1996: Better Living Through Chemistry: 6

1996: If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next EP: 2

1996: [Progressive House Classics]: 4

1996: Smoking Beagles EP by Sub Sub / Tricky Kid EP by Tricky: 7

1997: Pussycat EP: 5

1997: Sampleslaya: Enter The Meatmarket: 3

1998: Glee (UK Edition): 10

1998: Inertia Creeps EP: 8

1998: This Is Hardcore: 9

Side Two (46:52) (Box) (Mega)

Side One here

Ultra Stereo Field Mixes

Side 1 of a mixtape, compiled 23rd January 2002, and showcasing the remixing and production talents of Leftfield aka Neil Barnes and Paul Daley. 

 

I think the first thing I heard by Leftfield was their Vocalfield Mix of Open Up Your Head by If? in 1991 and I was hooked from there on, trying to get hold of anything I could. Due to a legal dispute with record label Rhythm King, Leftfield could not release their own music for several years, focusing instead on remixing and producing other artists: Stereo MCs, Sandals, Ultra Naté, React 2 Rhythm, Adamski, Inner City... all classics. Open Up, 1993's collaboration with John  Lydon, was a game changer and when debut album Leftism appeared in 1995, it more than lived up to the weight of expectation. 

 

Side One (46:19)

1) I Am Free (Leftfield Escape From Da Da Mix): Morgan King (1994)

2) Space Shanty (Tribal Mix): Leftfield (1995)

3) Body Medusa (The Leftfield Remix): Supereal (1991)

4) Afro-Left (Album Version): Leftfield ft. Djum Djum (1995)

5) Not Forgotten (Hard Hands Mix): Leftfield (1991)

6) Open Up (Full Vocal Mix): Leftfield / Lydon (1993) 

 

Space Shanty (Tribal Mix) originally appeared on the excellent 1997 compilation Foundations: Coming Up From The Streets but suffered from a mastering fault/skip a couple of minutes in. I was able to find a version online without the skip but which cuts out abruptly at the end. The version included here is a (hopefully) sympathetic edit of the two recordings.

Tracks 3 & 5 are edits from the 1996 compilation [Progressive House Classics]. Whilst I now have the full length versions of both, I've kept with the edits to maintain the original mixtape running time.

This is Open Up's third appearance on this blog, albeit in different versions which you can find here and here.

 

Side One (46:19)