As far as I'm concerned, 2025 has been a great year for new music, some long-term favourites returning with new albums, others discovered for the first time.
In fact, I struggled to come up with a single 45-minute selection, so sod it. I did two. More by accident than design, the second one came in at 13 songs which, added to this dozen, conveniently delivers 25 highlights from 2025. So far.
I'm going to hold onto Side Two until next Sunday. In the meantime, surround yourself with some wonderful songs from some wonderful albums (and two singles).
1) Patient Has Own Supply: Constant Follower (The Smile You Send Out Returns To You)
2) Dating A Model: Emily Breeze (Rats In Paradise)
3) The Blue: Mumble Tide (Might As Well Play Another One)
4) Who This World Is Made For. (Mindful Edit): Ellen Beth Abdi (Ellen Beth Abdi)
5) Burning Bridges: The Cowboy Mouth (Faultlines)
6) have you ever had a broken heart? (Album Version): senses (all the heavens)
7) Old Oak Road (2025 Mix): Mike Smalle ft. Cathal Coughlan & Jah Wobble (Ghosts EP)
8) 1st World Blues: Bright Eyes (1st World Blues EP)
9) Signs: Olafur Arnalds / Talos (A Dawning)
10) You Know It Ain't Right: Pearl Charles (Desert Queen)
A 90 minute revision class in the art of the remix, courtesy of François Kevorkian.
When compiling yesterday's "Volume 1", I'd used half of my shortlist of 24 songs. More by luck than planning, the remaining 12 also clocked in at an hour and a half, so sequencing a "Volume 2" seemed a no-brainer.
This selection has a tighter time period, focusing on 1983 to 2000, but no less a collection of top tunes for that.
Perhaps a surprise for some, but even Lou Reed and King Crimson got in on the extended 12" remix lark back in the day. Not sure how often these vinyl platters were tearing up dancefloors across the globe, but François Kevorkian does a good job with both.
More a production than a remix, Snake Charmer was the opening and title track of a 5-track EP/mini-album by Jah Wobble, The Edge and Holger Czukay in 1983.
Ol' Dave Evans pops up twice here, reuniting with his regular workmates in U2 for an FK remix of Wire the following year. This track originally appeared on the NME Readers' Poll Winners '84, a cover-mounted freebie 7" EP. And being the Celtic Dub Mix, those of you with allergies can rest assured that this version of Wire contains approx. 65% less Bono Vox.
It's inevitable that a Kevorkian remix will crop up on pretty much every 1980s 12" mix selection that I compile from here on, but I will come back to a bespoke FK mixtape or two in the future.
For now, revel in the brilliance.
1) Swollen (Francois K Vocal Mix By François Kevorkian & Eric Kupper): Bent ft. Zoё Johnston (2000)
2) Perfect Way (Way Perfect Mix By François Kevorkian, Alan Meyerson & Josh Abbey) (Full Length): Scritti Politti (1985)
3) Big Decision (Jet Fuel Mix By François Kevorkian): That Petrol Emotion (1987)
4) Snake Charmer (Full Length Version By François Kevorkian): Jah Wobble, The Edge & Holger Czukay (1983)
5) Here To Go (Extended Mix By François Kevorkian): Cabaret Voltaire (1987)
6) Nostalgia (Jeux De Mixage) (Remix By François Kevorkian & Goh Hotoda): Yellow Magic Orchestra (1993)
7) My Red Joystick (Remixed Version By François Kevorkian & Jay Mark): Lou Reed (1984)
8) Don't Look Any Further (Extended Mix By François Kevorkian, Alan Friedman & Alan Gregorie) (Cover of Dennis Edwards): The Kane Gang (1987)
9) The Time Is Now (Francois K Main Vocal Mix By François Kevorkian & Rob Rives): Moloko (2000)
10) Sleepless (Dance Mix By François Kevorkian & John Potoker): King Crimson (1984)
11) Freaky (Francois' Mix By François Kevorkian): Soho (1990)
12) Wire (Celtic Dub Mix By François Kevorkian): U2 (1984)
L'art De La Discothèque, Volume 2 (1:30:18) (KF) (Mega)
Side 1 of a nonsensical Nineties mixtape, today landing in 1994.
The year that 'The Bristol Sound' was gaining traction as a viable commercial prospect was also the year that I spent most of it living in another city. Yep, rather than chasing the zeitgeist, I seemed to spend most of my time racing away from it...!
Whilst Lloyd Cole had a lost weekend in a hotel in Amsterdam, I spent late 1993 to autumn 1994 in Derby. A large chunk of that was spent (over)staying with my incredibly understanding friend and his understandably increasingly pissed off girlfriend, before moving into a bedsit on the other side of town.
I'd lived in worse places, though not much. The winter was so cold that ice formed on the inside of the windows, faux-brickwork wallpaper covered the crumbly real stuff behind, and 50p in the meter would just about get enough water for a bath...as long as my neighbour didn't jump into the communal bathroom and nick it first!
Oh, and after several break-in attempts, I had to resort to removing my car battery every evening and keep it in my bedsit. It was quite literally the only thing worth nicking from car, but half-arsed attempts to do so had caused even more damage.
I spent most of my time in Derby working for a paint company, 2.00-10.00pm shifts in their distribution warehouse, trying to input schedules on to spreadsheet with fingers that had turned blue and lost all feeling about 30 minutes into the shift.
And it was where I gained a valuable lesson in the pronunciation of UK place names. My Scottish compadres may raise a wry smile when I mention the reaction I got from the person at the other end of the phone, when I wanted to update them on "a delivery to Hawick". They let me repeat several times before putting me out of my misery...
For all the anti-social aspects of the group, the people were fun, and I had a brief relationship with a woman in the upstairs office (I was one of the privileged few from downstairs allowed to go upstairs!), who lived out in the sticks and introduced me to some lovely walks in the Peak District.
I also went clubbing a lot, given that I would finish work at 10.00pm and sleep was the last thing on my mind. I've forgotten most of the places I went to, but they included the Wherehouse for indie-type gigs and club nights. I also went to a few Renaissance nights at the relatively newly opened The Conservatory. I may have seen Sasha there but I have no recollection; I do remember that John Digweed and Ian Ossia were there pretty much every time, and seeing Justin Robertson, the latter peppered all over my record buying at the time.
Gigs were few and far between in that time. In fact, I've only recorded three that I can recall, and what a mixed bag: Freak Realistic playing to a handful of people; The Boo Radleys riding a wave of acclaim on the back of the magnificent Giant Steps, which proved to be impossible to capture live on stage.
And then a brief trip over to Nottingham in March 1994, for a Megadog event featuring Transglobal Underground, Banco De Gaia and Loop Guru, which was superb. I was also supposed to be seeing Primal Scream at the legendary Rock City the same month but for some reason it never happened. Thirty years later and I've still never been there.
So how is it all of that reflected in today's selection of sounds from 1994? Not very well, if I honest!
Although the peaks for both genres were arguably still ahead, I've eschewed Britpop for Trip Hop, so there's no Blur, Pulp or Oasis (or, thankfully, Ocean Colour Scene) but Bristol's finest are represented with Massive Attack, Portishead and Tricky. Incredibly, only the first of these made the Top 30 though bigger hits were to come.
In fact, this selection is much lighter on Top 40 hits - a mere 5 - compared to previous years, though I couldn't swap out any of these choices, even if it meant no room for Mazzy Star, Underworld, Gene, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Elastica, Kristin Hersh & Michael Stipe, Ride and Billie Ray Martin. And poor Pop Will Eat Itself never did get a look in this time around.
Beastie Boys make a long overdue appearance with Sabotage, which came with a typically brilliant video. Lazarus, possibly The Boo Radleys' greatest moment, wasn't a hit in 1992 and arguably still wasn't in 1994 compared to other singles though it was good to see it get a second crack at the Top, er, 55.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart also returned with what I personally consider to be their best album, Take Me To God. I can't award it perfect album due to the guest spot of Dolores from The Cranberries, whose voice I can best and diplomatically describe as grating (sorry). However the single Becoming More Like God is monumental.
Pavement and Stereolab are largely thanks to John Peel playing them on the radio and a friend falling heavily for their music, which provided a sideways door to their songs. Veruca Salt too, although my collection remains largely limited to the Seether and Number One Blind EPs.
7 Seconds by Youssou N'Dour was slow burning single, taking a good couple of months to climb up the UK charts and reaching a peak of #3. No idea why, it's a fantastic song, made even better by appearance of Neneh Cherry and the inspired production of Booga Bear & Jonny Dollar aka Cameron McVey (aka Neneh's hubby) and Jonathan Sharp (who sadly passed in 2009). Neneh...sigh.
And I end with a start. If you've been following this series from the beginning, then you will know that there will always be more MAW. Today's Mandatory Andrew Weatherall is one of his own songs, for a change. Weatherall teamed up with Jagz Kooner and Gary Burns to form The Sabres Of Paradise. In 1994, second album Haunted Dancehall dropped, including a truncated version of preceding single Theme.
Theme, as the title may suggest, was a big, bold brassy cinematic epic, so it was no surprise that it literally ended up soundtracking a film. I don't remember all that much about Shopping the film, if I'm honest; I probably only saw it that one time in 1994. The soundtrack album however is phenomenal: Weatherall/Sabres appear twice, alongside Orbital, Smith & Mighty, The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy, and more.
The version of Theme on the Shopping OST comes in at just under five and a half minutes, longer than the album version, shorter than the single version, though carrying all of the heft of the original.
1) Theme ("Shopping" OST Version): The Sabres Of Paradise
2) Sly (Underdog Mix By Trevor Jackson): Massive Attack ft. Nicolette
3) Sabotage (Album Version): Beastie Boys
4) Numb (Revenge Of The Number): Portishead
5) Lazarus (7 Inch Version): The Boo Radleys
6) Cut Your Hair (Album Version): Pavement
7) Ping Pong (Album Version): Stereolab
8) Ponderosa (Dobie's Rub Part 1): TrIcky ft. Martina Topley-Bird
9) Becoming More Like God (Radio Edit By Mark 'Spike' Stent): Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart ft. Anneli Drecker
10) I Want You (Single Mix): Inspiral Carpets ft. Mark E. Smith
11) Seether (Album Version): Veruca Salt
12) 7 Seconds (Album Version By Booga Bear & Jonny Dollar): Youssou N'Dour ft. Neneh Cherry
6th February 1994: Crooked Rain Crooked Rain (#52): 6
27th February 1994: I Want You EP (#18): 10
3rd April 1994: Haunted Dancehall / Shopping OST(#56): 1
24th April 1994: Becoming More Like God EP (#36): 9
Everything Is Recorded have dropped three new songs since November, ahead of their third (or seventh*) album, Temporary, arriving on the last day of February.
Sampha leads the way vocally, but there's a lovely left turn halfway through, represented in the video by the group disembarking at a petrol station to buy some sweets and fizzy drinks from the shop. Richard Russell and Clari Freeman-Taylor share earphones whilst Laura Groves sings over the spaced out bridging section.
It's back in the cab for the final 30 seconds or so, a blink-and-you'll-miss-him shot of Jah Wobble, now in the back seat playing bass, and providing a voice over with Sampha in the closing moments. Well worth three minutes of your time.
Last Thursday, the third preview single dropped, the appropriately titled Swamp Dream #3. Clari Freeman-Taylor from Mary In The Junkyard trudging through the mud with a small TV set, featuring...Clari Freeman-Taylor singing.
This song is reminiscent of the music Richard Russell (aka Everything Is Recorded and XL label boss) has created with Samantha Morton (who also appears on the new album): queasy, unsettling vocals atop sinister strings.
Lastly, but firstly in terms of release dates, there is Porcupine Tattoo, featuring Noah Cyrus (daughter of Billy Ray and sister of Miley) and Bill Callahan (married to Hanly Banks with two kids),
None of this is random. In 2010, Russell produced and released Gil Scott-Heron's final studio album, I’m New Here. The album was named after and covered the Bill Callahan song of the same name.
Russell approached Callahan about a collaboration, asking who he would like to write a song for. “Noah Cyrus” was Callahan’s reply. The end result features a duet of Callahan’s original demo vocal with Cyrus’ deep, warm tones. The minimalist sound palette includes a foot stomping bass and country twangs and it's really quite beautiful.
* Between September 2023 and May 2024, Everything Is Recorded released a series of four albums, each inspired by the annual cycle of solstice and equinox, summer to autumn to winter to spring. Hours of collaborative improvisations were edited and reshaped into 10 songs and roughly 35 minutes for each album. And they're all available as a free download on Bandcamp.
I have a couple of gig reviews to post, but they're taking on a life on their own and need some more work so they'll make an appearance later in the week.
My fall back, as ever, is reggae and dub and I hope you'll agree that it's stepped up and delivered. Five decades of riddims and rhymes taking in some musical heavyweights and contemporary inspirations. Derrick Morgan technically manages to sneak in two appearances, the second via a dub courtesy of Augustus Pablo.
Sadly, some of these great artists are no longer with us, though many are and continue to produce great sounds. I'm seeing one of them next month, so expect a gig review here...when I've caught up on the backlog!
1) Revolution (Single Version): Dennis Brown (1983)
2) I Was Appointed (Album Version): Junior Murvin (1977)
3) Great Musical Battle: Derrick Morgan (1973)
4) Cleopatra King Size: Jah Wobble & ft. Temple Of Sound (2002)
5) The Gorgon Of Dubs & Horns: Tommy McCook & The Aggrovators (1975)
Another delve into the vaults for a review of Remixed by Mari Boine, first published on 8th April 2006, with newly added video and Bandcamp links.
Taken from the latter's artist biog, Mari Boine Persen is a "singer, musician, songwriter and activist from Sápmi, Norway. Her music is infused with her Sami roots
(joik),
jazz, rock and electronic sounds. Mari has worked with artists like Jan
Garbarek and Bugge Wesseltoft, and participated in the breathtaking
video clip One World One Voice. Her solo album 'Gula Gula' was released
(internationally) on Peter Gabriel’s RealWorld label in 1990."
This is what I had to say about Remixed eighteen years ago.
I
confess to a habitual acceptance of remixes and a borderline obsessive
desire to track down reworks by artists as much as a band's original
material. The result is a vast collection of obscure remixes by the
likes of Andrew Weatherall, Slam, Fluke and Orbital, which often make the
proverbial silk purse from a sow's ear.
However, it will also frequently lead me
to discover more artists and remixers, or just simply appreciate the
record in it's own right. Such is the case with Norwegian artist Mari
Boine's Remixed.
I picked up this promo CD for a couple of quid,
simply because it featured Jah Wobble, Bill Laswell and Biosphere, and
thought that any other listening pleasure would be a bonus. What can I
say? Ten tracks and just over an hour later and I've been playing it
frequently ever since.
Chilluminati
provide an atmospheric opener in Gula Gula, neatly leading into Jah
Wobble's distinctive bass on Cuovgi Liekkas, which roughly translates
as 'Radiant Warmth', appropriately enough.
The tempo then picks up with
Those Norwegians' funky take on Gulkan Du, before taking it back down
for the spine-tingling Alddagasat Ipmilat by Biosphere. Regardless of
my familiarity with the artists, each of the remixes complement each
other and use Boine's vocals to great effect, wisely tending to leave
them intact.
The notable exception is album closer, Ahccai by Phono*,
which weaves a single note vocal into a pulsating beat that ensnares the
listener.
* If you're wondering why the description doesn't match the music via the Bandcamp link above, it's because I've belatedly discovered that the tracklisting on the promo CD I purchased was incorrect.
Phono didn't remix Áhččai (track 10) but in fact Mun Da Han Lean Oaivamos (track 8), which samples Nelson Mandela.
Here's the version of Áhččai that I referred to, actually remixed by Future Prophecies aka Richard Thomas and Tony Anthun.
And to close my 2006 review:
I'm not sure that I'm curious enough to seek out Mari Boine's
other releases, but Remixed will be troubling my CD player for some
time.
Truer words rarely spoken. I still rate Remixed in 2024 but to date it remains the sole Mari Boine album in my collection.
Liquid Cool by Apollo 440 popped onto my playlist, prompting a discovery on YouTube of the accompanying video for the single from three decades ago. A bit disappointing to be honest (the video, I mean) but a testament to modest budgets and what you can come up with when all you've got is a corridor, a gurney, a chair and a small box of props and costumes.
To give the song it's full 'proper' title, Liquid Cool (Theme For Cryonic Suspension) closed side 1 of Apollo 440's debut album Millennium Fever in 1993 and a remix appeared on the B-side of the Rumble EP the same year.
In September 1994, a promo triple pack 12" started doing the rounds, following by the then de rigeur single release across two CDs, all packed with remixes.
I bought the latter shiny discs, containing 9 versions in total, which Additive Sphere has thoughtfully collected as posted as one album-length experience.
Probably a bit much as a single listening experience but, mindful of that, there are jumping on points for each of the individual mixes. Deep Forest was very much in vogue at the time so you get three from them (tracks 2, 6 & 8). Of more interest to me at the time were the remixes by The Future Sound Of London and Jah Wobble, the latter dipping into drum 'n' bass waters, whilst the legendary bass floats over the top.
There are a couple of versions by Apollo 440 themselves and rounding out the CD package, two by Rhythm Of Space, the Space Colonization Remix providing nearly 14 minutes of deep techno.
The second is titled Space -320°F Biostatic Ambient Mix Part 1 and is just over eleven minutes of, you guessed it, dub-heavy ambient sounds. As the title suggests, it's a truncated version of the full-length excursion to be found on side 4 of the promo 12" vinyl and runs to twenty four and a half minutes. Ultra evolution? Not half!
Celebrating Damo Suzuki, 16th January 1950 to 9th February 2024.
This one damn near broke me. And I don't mean on an emotional level, but physically trying to get today's selection and post up here. I like to think that in some other plane of existence, Damo is aware of my amateurish efforts and chain of mishaps this morning and is having a belly laugh at my expense, before turning his attention to things of greater cosmic import.
I had another post lined up for today, but I woke this morning to the news of Damo's passing and decided that I wanted to post a tribute to him instead.
To be honest, I didn't expect it to be a very big job: I have relatively little by Can to begin with and Damo was with them from 1970 to 1973 which narrowed the selection further. I have absolutely nothing of Damo's post-Can career.
And the news that I could have seen Damo play a gig with Fuzz Against Junk in the intimate surrounds of Fiddlers Club in south Bristol in March 2004 is a non-story as I decided not to get a ticket. In retrospect, I should have gone and taken the following day off work.
I then got it into my head that, in the spirit of Damo's improvisational style, I should actually try and cut-and-paste collage of all of the entire longlist, throwing in cover versions and remixes of Damo-era Can songs to boot. So I suddenly had about 20-odd songs and about 3+ hours of material to work with. Okay, so it was going to take a big longer than usual, but I was game...
I was about 3 songs in and thinking that it had got off to a reasonably good start when the Apple Music app which holds my digital music collection starting acting weirdly, shortly followed by the on-screen announcement that the wireless mouse has 1% charge left. Closing down and re-opening the app completely wiped the working playlist that I'd created. No problem, I said through gritted teeth (okay, I did swear a bit too), I'll start over again.
I do have a 'backup' wireless mouse. Unfortunately, it's the 'original' one whose increasingly impaired performance resulted in the purchase of the 'current' one, which had less than 1% at this point and promptly lost connection. The 'backup' had 20% charge which would be fine. However, one it's quirks is unpredictable cursor action, usually resulting in you getting the complete opposite of what you're trying to achieve. Cue lots of examples in the Audacity app of highlighting, moving, editing and cutting anything but the bit of the music that I was actually working on.
I could see the job doubling and trebling in length. Thankfully, after an hour there was sufficient charge on the 'current' mouse to abandon the 'backup' and have some hope of completing and posting this selection before Sunday is over.
Another 'improvised' decision as a result of my tech woes, but which may be a blessing to you dear readers, is that the selection is a mere 14 songs. I decided to cut my losses after Halleluhwah and tacked the intended closing song Turtles Have Short Legs at the end.
So you are denied/spared (delete as applicable) Future Days, Moonshake, Paperhouse, Sing Swan Song, Mighty Girl*, Vitamin C and Yoo Do Right. What you do get is two hours of music edited down to roughly 66 minutes, all giving a nod to Damo's brilliance.
Mother Sky switches between the Can original and the Pilooski edit. On Mushroom, you'll hear Damo duetting with Jim Reid for the first and last time. Mark E. Smith inevitably gets in on the act with The Fall's own tribute from 1985.
Oh Yeah appears in three increasingly shorter sections, courtesy of Can, Kris Needs and Mute label maestro Daniel Miller. There's the wonderfully titled Tape Kebab from a John Peel session* and three versions of Can's masterwork Halleluhwah.
First up is the 1995 version by Spirit Feel, featuring Claudia Brücken and Susanne Freytag formerly of Propaganda. This is followed by Damo fronting the original album version. Both of these push beyond 18 minutes; you get much less here, but the addition of a third, closing section from - who else? - The Orb, released a couple of years after the Spirit Feel cover version.
The closer, Turtles Have Short Leg, is incredibly short by Can standards, but one of many examples of their lighter, poppier moments. Well, relatively speaking.
Neither the words nor the selection really do justice to Damo the man, the musician, the uniquely talented individual and front person, be it Can, Damo Suzuki's Network or the numerous collaborations and improvisations that he's been responsible for.
But in reading about my amateurish efforts and chain of mishaps to get this out here today, I hope you'll join Damo in a chuckle, a laugh or a full-on belly laugh. And then go and play some more of his music, long and loud.
See you, Damo.
1) I'm So Green: Can (1973)
2) Mother Sky (Album Version): Can (1970)
3) Mother Sky (Pilooski Edit By Cédric Marszewski): Can (2007)
4) Mushroom (Album Version): Can (1971)
5) Mushroom (Live In Nuremburg): The Jesus & Mary Chain (1986)
6) I Am Damo Suzuki: The Fall (1985)
7) Oh Yeah (Album Version): Can (1971)
8) Oh Yeah (Secret Knowledge Mix By Kris Needs & Henry Cullen ft. Jah Wobble): Can (1997)
9) Oh Yeah (Sunroof! Mix By Daniel Miller & Gareth Jones): Can (1997)
Happy birthday to Don Letts, born 10th January 1956.
It's never a good idea to do a complete U-turn on your intended blog post at the last minute, especially when it involves creating a new mix from scratch. Even more so when your computer/internet collection is on a go slow, presenting you with the spinning wheel of death on screen whilst you jab pointlessly at the keyboard, in tbe vain hope that it might speed things along.
So, the original idea was to post some videos by artists who were born on a Wednesday, of which there are quite a few, even when you avoid out the complete wrong turns offered up by your not-so-friendly browser.
However, when I realised it was Don's birthday today, there was no way that I wasn't going to focus attention on him instead. And no, Don wasn't born on a Wednesday - it was a Tuesday, if you really need to know - who really cares? He's worth it!
So, when my effing and jeffing at the screen subsides and the files upload, here's just under an hour of music featuring Don Letts, topped and tailed of course by Big Audio Dynamite, a couple each from Basement 5 and Screaming Target, a few rarities and a new(ish) David Holmes remix of the title track from Don's first solo album, Outta Sync, released last year.
1) Much Worse (Extended Mix By Paul 'Groucho' Smykle): Big Audio Dynamite (1988)
2) Paranoiaclaustrophobia Dub: Basement 5 (1980)
3) Sumimasen Suite Pt.1: Yasushi Ide ft. Emily Capell & Rebel Dread aka Don Letts (2022)
4) Knowledge 'n' Numbers (Depth Charge Mix By J. Saul Kane): Screaming Target (1991)
5) Beat Down Babylon (Don Letts / Dan Donovan Dub Cartel Remix): Strawberry Blondes (2010)
6) Haile Unlikely By The Electric Dread: Don Letts, Stratetime Keith, Steel Leg, Jah Wobble (1978)
7) Outta Sync (David Holmes Remix): Don Letts (2023)
8) Immigration: Basement 5 (1980)
9) Who Killed King Tubby (Screaming Dub Mix By Paul 'Groucho' Smykle): Screaming Target (1991)
10) BAD (12" Version By Mick Jones): Big Audio Dynamite (1985)
"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.
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.
