Returning to Justin Robertson, with an 86-minute Dubhed selection, spanning thirty five years, 13 tracks and countless happy times listening to his music.
Justin's current output as Five Green Moons gives the same thrill as listening to his early remixes of the likes of Happy Mondays and Inspiral Carpets, many a time buying music just because his name's attached, confident that I would never be disappointed.
Three and a half decades in, and no sign of that, or of Justin slowing down, even though I wonder how he also fits in time to write, paint and DJ on top of all this!
And yes, that is "Vol. 1" appended to the mixtape title...
1) Jamit: Justin Robertson's Deadstock 33s (2023)
2) Beglammered (Justin Robertson's Deadstock 33's Remix): The Asphodells (2013)
Not a lot of chat today as I've been plagued by power cuts whilst composing this post and it's accompanying selection. Only brief ones, but they've knocked out the PC every time and it's taken increasingly longer to get everything up and running again. And it's raining again.
"Arse!" as Father Jack was inclined to say, well, shout.
In that spirit, here's some joie de vivre courtesy of a dozen songs that have already brightened up my 2026; some only just so as they were released for Bandcamp Friday.
Again, I've found myself with an embarrassment of riches and have compiled 12 of them for your listening pleasure today, and this weekend.
Spare Snare's cover of Say My Name by Destiny's Child has been knocking around since 2001, but it's just reappeared on brand new compilation, Love Your Later Stuff, so it gets in on a technicality. That, and it segues beautifully into the dub of Jezebell's Turn It Yes by Justin Robertson's Five Green Moons.
It was a chance check in with the official Gavin Friday website that led me to the David Holmes remix of The Church Of Love, which snuck out earlier this year.
And if you enjoy the song by Al MacKenzie (D:Ream) which gives today's post it's title (well, half of it at least) I will be coming back to the Evil Acid Barons album, which is an early contender for compilation of the year... and only a handful of tracks have been released so far.
1) Protector: SAULT (Chapter 1)
2) Life Is Short, Live It Well (Vocal Mix): Al MacKenzie (Evil Acid Barons)
3) Program 70: Pye Corner Audio (Program 70 EP)
4) Love To Watch U: A_M_B_O_S_S (Machine X Human EP)
I'm always thrilled when an email drops in, giving me a heads up of a new release by Jezebell aka Jesse Fahnestock and Darren Bell, and the latest news especially so.
Turn It Yes was one of five new songs and the closing track on last year's essential compilation Jezebellearic Beats Volume 2 (my review here), a joyous seven-and-a-half minutes built around a positive message/sample. I may be walking on thin ice if I name the featured artist here again, but they should be instantly recognisable.
Eight months later and 6th March (Bandcamp Friday, if you're keeping note) brings Turn It Yes Remixes Vol. 1, a 4-track EP featuring the original mix plus three fresh reworks.
The EP is previewed with a gorgeous remix by Parvale aka Neil Parnell and Ian Vale, returning the favour as Jezebell remixed their own single Breaker City in 2025. Needless to say, it's a celebratory affair, upping the BPMs but losing none of the emotional impact of the original.
Given that the other two remixes come from Hardway Bros aka Sean Johnston and Five Green Moons aka Justin Robertson, then this EP is the very definition of a must-have purchase.
Tambores En Benirras aka Graham Newby came to my attention when he remixed Other Skies by Electric Blue Vison, Jesse Fahnestock's project with Emilia Harmony, in 2023.
Now Jesse's returned with his other partner in crime, Darren Bell, to deliver a lush Jezebell remix for the third and final remix EP of Tambores En Benirras' debut LP, Ondas Horizontales. Just the fact that it's a Jezebell remix is reason enough to buy, but I especially love the tempo changes in their take on Alma Hablando.
Buy this one and you get further remix excellence including 100 Poems and Leo Zero. Buying all three adds the likes of Aim, Andres Y Xavi, Steve Cobby and Marshall Watson. Wonderful.
According to the blurb accompanying 2023's (debut?) EP Unani Pendeza, Urmet K aka Kermann Urmet is a native of Estonia, and a fixture on London’s underground circuit. Having current experience of neither, I can only say that the track Summer Solstice is a banger. Flip side You Know How continues in a similar vein, and slightly edges it for me.
Another recommendation for the Stereo MC's label Connected, too. They sure know how to pick them.
Viktus is a rapper from Bristol... ot at least he was, he appears to have relocated to Brighton since I first featured him in my post in June, which by sheer coincidence also happened to be his birthday.
Big Dawg dropped in November, and all the characteristics are in place: driving piano chords, hefty beats and a rap that covers all the lyrical bases with plenty of effing and jeffing as you might expect. Vocally, swapping the Bronx for a Bristol burr will always get extra points from me.
I'm a huge fan of Luke Vibert's music, my entry point being his releases and remixes in the 1990s, particularly Wagon Christ. I've lost tough in recent years - I have a promo WC album preview from 2011, the last proper track dates back to 2004 - so I'm not sure if this is a Wagon Christ comeback or if I've just not been paying attention.
Planet Roll is a mammoth 16 tracks, so no question that you're getting your money's worth.
Is it a radical departure from the 90s/00s Wagon Christ sound? Hell, no!
Is it great to have a new Wagon Christ album unexpectedly drop in my shopping bag? Hell, yes!
Xavier Corbera hails from Spain and, on the strength of the album Last Exit To Music, is influenced by film soundtrack composers, not least John Carpenter. The album appropriately came out the day before Hallowe'en and features 9 electronic soundscapes. The pulsing Plank is my pick today.
If you believe Discogs, Yellow Ostrich played their final show in 2014. However, main man Alex Schaaf appears to have resurrected the name in 2021 and Trying is his second full length, full band album since.
Lots of naggingly familiar reference points, but it's confessional style and earworm harmonies has won me over.
My final pick of the day and the week is Zaatar aka Marie Benaboud. Based in France, grew up in Morocco, three nationalities (Belgian, Swiss and Moroccan), a love of "blending EBM (Electronic Body Music), electro & North African roots into raw, genre-bending sets."
It certainly scratches my Front 242 itch, not least on the opening track of The Sound Of Z EP, Eyes Like Static. And I'm a sucker for record sleeves featuring big cats, especially when they remind of TV classic Manimal.
Last Sunday's post summed up some of the great music in 2025 so far and tomorrow will complete the 25 For 25 set.
That selection has focused on what I would loosely describe as 'alternative' music, whereas I have featured several selections this year that are more electronic / beats based.
And there's so much of it, I can't keep up, to be honest. Exhibit A: another 90-minute, 15 song pick that refuses to be pigeonholed.
There is something of a nostalgic feel to this one. The All Seeing I have released an expanded version on their 1999 album Pickled Eggs And Sherbert, including 4 reworkings by founder member Richard Barratt aka Crooked Man, which you can also buy as a standalone EP. Of course I had to pick 1st Man In Space featuring living legend Phil Oakey.
Phil's in good company. The following song La Musica was originally released in 2014 by Munk and re-released this year as a collaboration with Kapote...although they are one and the same person, Mathias Modica. The version here features George Kranz, heavily incorporating his 1983 song Din Daa Daa.
Oh, and Yoko Ono pops up in the next song by the brilliant Jezebell, Dub Narcotic Sound System's 1994 single Fuck Shit Up gets a makeover by hi-falutin' Hifi Sean and you'll hear a familiar snippet of Peter Fonda amongst the guess-the-sample offering by Follytechnic Music Library aka Paul Southgate. Paul's seemingly unstoppable output of edits and mash-ups deserves a post of its own. I must get to it.
It's not all reflective, though. If you've been following this blog all year, you will have twigged that I like Airsine's Like Fire EP. I mean, a lot. Three of the four versions have now appeared on 2025 round-up selections, so I guess I'd better save the remaining one for the 'best of the year' round up.
senses appear for the second time in a week with the same song. The original 'indie' version has a charm all of its own, but there was no way I was leaving out Andy Bell's GLOK remix.
Likewise, Let Yourself Go by Una Camille & Dr. No (well, Richard Norris in disguise actually) popped up previously with one of his own remixes, but I had to make room here for the super Acid Mix by Leo Zero.
Leo's been pretty busy himself this year, as I found to my (literal) cost last Bandcamp Friday, so there will be more from him here soon.
Other gifts that keep giving since their release are albums by Hifi Sean and David McAlmont and 100 Poems aka Mike Wilson. Hugo Nicholson is in a real purple patch at the moment, Pete Bones too, here with a remix of Nick Hook for a charity fundraiser EP.
Rounding things out is sLEdger, who got my attention with an excellent remix of Fluke in 2024, and have kept it with some top notch and brilliantly titled releases. Trippy Ass God Funk indeed.
Please come back on Sunday for more 2025 highlights.
1) 1st Crooked Man In Space (Remix By Richard Barratt): The All Seeing I ft. Phil Oakey (Return Of The Crooked Cat EP)
2) La Musica (Din Daa Daa Version): Munk & Kapote ft. George Kranz (La Musica EP)
Barely a year ago, on receiving the vinyl edition of Volume 1, I wrote that
"Bearing
in mind that Jesse Fahnestock and Darren Bell released Jezebell's debut
single Thrill Me in 2021, issuing a 'greatest hits' in August 2023 and
labelling it 'Volume 1' may have seemed rather ambitious, cocky even.
Yet, even with a digital edition packed with 20 tracks, the duo still
had to leave out many mixes and versions that could easily have made the
cut. It's really that good."
So, given that it's a mere 23 months since Volume 1 landed, have Jesse and Darren chanced their arm with another 20-track collection, with over two and a quarter hours of music?
Not a chance. These guys know what they are doing, and the confident curation of tracks captures the head spinning prolificacy of this dynamic duo.
If evidence is needed, look no further than the fact that a quarter of the collection comprises brand new and exclusive tracks, opening with Movimento Lento, closing with Turn It Yes, and sprinkling Japaneasy, Red Black & Green and Geo Metric in the mix.
As ever, the pleasure of a Jezebell song is in repeated listening and whilst I've listened to Volume 2 a few times, I'm still nowhere near to unlocking the secrets of the new tracks, aside from Red Black & Green's pleasing hints of Zobi La Mouche by Les Negresses Vertes and the joyful voice of Yoko Ono in Turn It Yes.
What I will say is that the five new songs sit well with the previously released music, instantly recognisable as Jezebell, whilst continuing to push their sound forward, evolving into new shapes and forms.
There are also a couple of exclusive 2025 reworkings. This can often mean either a deep love for a piece of music, or a nagging dissatisfaction leading to a pull to tweak or correct the original work.
Jezebell originally remixed Submissive Background by Ian Vale in 2022 and I thought it was pretty damn good then. The '2025 Re-Remix' is essentially the same, but gives the music more muscle; the percussion positively booms from the speakers and the whole track sounds a little brighter, more confident of itself.
Dancing (Not Fighting) also appeated in 2022, a Jezebell EP built around a sample of Mick Jones from The Clash. The original came in four top notch mixes, In 2024 (to be precise, at 8:08 on 08/08), Jezebell released the 2-track 808 Day Exclusives EP, which included a remix of Dancing (Not Fighting). The 2025 remix appears to be a spruced up version of the latter, and is all the better for it.
I've referred to my previous notes for some choice comments on other tracks and remixes.
When I compiled a Jezebell selection, Clues To The Edit, last September, I referred to the 'Leave Your Lover' remix of Pandit Pam Pam's Pass A Wish "in sonic terms [as] equal parts chug and hug".Jezebell's 50 Ways Mix is cut from the same cloth, teasingly pleasing.
Two tracks from their Cream Tease EP have been included, which previously prompted me to comment that "You need more cheek than a Carry On film to name tracks Donkey and Hung, but they are bloody great" Yes. And then some!
I had a lot to say about the 2023's superb digital double pack EP Trading Places in 2023, not least for the '6PM' variation, including on the 'Daytime Versions' edition. Er, over to me.
"6PM
is a revelation. After a punchy start, insistent beats, keyboard stabs
and 1-2-3-4 sample, things really take an interesting turn at the 2:20
mark
with Siouxsie Sioux's distinctive vocals kicking in.
It's an
inspired move and one which takes the music to another level. The
longest track on both EPs at a smidge under seven and a half minutes,
it
feels like it could easily go on for twice as long."
Two years later and it's still a thrill to listen to.
Concurrence was an early release on When Disco Goes Wrong label in September 2021. In writing about the original version, I reflected that "To these ears, it's like hearing Sheila Chandra with John Bonham on drums and I can't get enough of it."
There were three additional remixes on the Concurrence EP, including one by Jesse with his 10:40 hat on, all excellent. In June 2022, an EP with four brand new remixes emerged, including the psychedelic epic included here by Akio Nagase.
Perfect
Din was an exclusive for last year's Shelter Me: In Crisis compilation. Par for the course with Jezebell's music, Perefct Din "got me scratching my head trying to work out what
samples [they'd] expertly woven into 408 seconds of groovy sounds."
Sailing through the rest of Jezebellearic Beats Volume 2, there's the stunning 'Jezebellfast Remix' of Fitzroy Avenue by Warriors Of The Dystothequefeaturing Joe Duggan, which wasn't short of a decent remix, but really, this pushed things right out there.
Likewise, Bibbles by Andres Y Xavi, which started off excellent in 2023 and somehow got even better when Jezebell got their hands on it - not once, but three times - the following year.
I could go on, but I'll start retreading superlatives very soon. It's a testament to the power of Jezebell's sound and their refreshing approach to both their own and others' music that they can get away with two 20-track 'greatest hits' compilations in under two years.
Not only that, but the sequencing of the tracks is exemplary and the new songs on Volume 2, boldly proclaim that there's plenty more to come.
If all of the above hasn't had you rushing to snap up Jezebellearic Beats Volume 2 (and Volume 1, if you haven't already got it), then here's an open door. And they're both available as a 'name your price' purchase. What?!
Needless to say, if there is a vinyl edition of Jezebellearic Beats Volume 2 to follow, I will be there like a shot.
I do love a portmanteau name and when Nein Records label head Neil Parnell teamed up with Ian Vale, Parvale was created and new EP Breaker City the first fruits.
The lead track is an unashamedly heartfelt love letter to Acid and Breakbeat, blending the best of both into 345 seconds of compelling body music.
I've greatly enjoyed Neil's releases and remixes as Tronik Youth and relatively recently caught up with Ian's work, so I was pretty much bought into this concept before hearing the track. That first listen sealed the deal.
Who else do you turn to for a remix than Jezebell? In their own words, Breaker City is "gone cut'n'paste and pop 'n' lock", dropping the tempo but not the attitude. A recurring sample of "nice 'n' slow" provides the remix with its name and, as you might expect, it's a slick, groovy six minutes that thrills from start to finish.
Closing track Drip Dry brings the BPMs right back up, another consumate and confident example of Neil and Ian's ability to pull from the past whilst reaching forward. At once evocative of the late 80s/early 90s and fresh as a springtime flower, it's another winner for me.
Breaker City was released on 21st February but if you hang on to Bandcamp Friday to buy, even more of your hard earned pennies will reach the artists. And whilst you're at it, check out more of the Nein Records and Jezebell back catalogue too.
In my final post of 2024, I have taken another look at the Dubhed Top 20 most popular posts. As with 2023's list, these are in descending order to manufacture some countdown tension, again with a few video inserts at various points. Or you can scroll down the page to see what's at #1...
The spread is more uneven is more uneven this year - January and October are the most popular months, April not far behind. March, June to August and, perhaps less surprisingly, December don't even get a look in at the Top 20. My Dubhed
selections feature in just over half of the Top 20, which is good to see.
January's birthday nod to Susanna Hoffs hit the mark and was well inside the Top 10 for most of the year, only dipping out when posts from the last few months starting climbing up. Jesse Fahnestock also scores a triple whammy, with Jezebell and 10:40 respectively.
Sadly, too many obituaries this year, the tributes to J. Saul Kane, Chris Cross of Ultravox and Keith LeBlanc being particularly well received, even though the news of their passing wasn’t.
And two comebacks also attracted a lot of attention, one very welcome (The Cure, crashing into the Top 10 in October) and one very much the opposite (#15 in November).
I'm delighted that this year's #1 featured what for me is the best album of the year, in any category or genre.
In
case you missed them first time around, click on the titles for the
original post. Dubhed selection links have also been restored, where
appropriate. When you get to #1, go and read my review of the album, posted shortly after I played it for the first time, then you'll understand why there was never any doubt in my mind. Happily, as the most visited post in 2024, it seems that you all agree.
Thanks so much for your support this year. I love writing this blog, but your comments, suggestions and gentle editing corrections give me the motivation to keep writing, keep wanting to do better and, in simple terms, give a shout out for all those talented people whose passion to create music inspires me every day.
Have a great New Year's Eve and best wishes for a brilliant 2025. I'll be here as usual tomorrow.
1) A Gift (Sounds From The Flightpath Estate) (6th April)
When I posted the Dubhed 2023 Top 20 on 2nd January, John Medd was quick to respond with a suggestion:
"I know it would be like knitting fog
but have you thought of condensing
the year down
not just into 20 posts, but 20 tracks
- segued into a
60/70/80 minute megagmix?
Push the boat out,
make two sides of 40/45
mins
and whack it out as a C90!"
I replied, filed it away and then pulled it back out of the drawer when I started this post. 21/22 tracks segued into an 85-minute mix. You can split it in half and fit onto a C90, if you don't mind some spooling at the end of Side 2.
This selection is dedicated to John Medd (thanks for the suggestion, hope you're doing well) and Swiss Adam (not least for his contribution to this year's #1).
And to everyone else, whether you're a fellow blogger (active or lapsed), commenter or silent visitor - not forgetting those lovely bots in China and South Korea - thank you again!
1) Three Rings: 10:40 ft. Emilia Harmony (2024)
2) 1000 Fahrenheit (Welsh Version): The Wedding Present (2014)
2) Same for J. Saul Kane's brilliant Bomb The Bass megamix from 1988.
3) I still haven't actually bought or listened to The Cure's new album from start to finish, but I have dipped into the concert for BBC Radio 2. Isn't it wonderful?
4) You'll quickly twig that A.N.T.S. by Adam & The Ants is set to the tune of Y.M.C.A. by The Village People. And why not?
5) Jesse Fahnestock is not paying me to get maximum exposure in the annual Dubhed Top 20, honest.
6) Jesse's contribution as 10:40 to Sounds From The Flightpath Estate was released as a standalone single in the summer, which is why it's included here. The album in general was only available as a limited edition double vinyl, which sold out in (excuse the pun) record time.
7) In March 2020, during the COVID lockdown, Andy Bell was taking song requests to perform and post on YouTube. Andrew Weatherall had passed mere weeks before, and @supawide45 suggested Andy have a go at Smokebelch II in tribute to The Guv'nor. Which he did, commenting, "Makes me want to actually record an acoustic arrangement of it!"
In March 2024, after a close-to-the-wire completion and submission, Andy's recorded version of Smokebelch II was released as the closing song on Songs From The Flightpath Estate. As it was perhaps always meant to be.
I've not included Andy's 2024 version, as it's place is on the album that Swiss Adam and his Flightpath Estate colleagues poured their hearts and souls into creating.
Instead, I've taken Andy's lockdown sketch, itself barely half a minute, looped and re-edited it a bit, then spliced with a section of Andrew, Jagz and Gary's Beatless Mix of Smokebelch II from 1993. It's an amateurish edit, but I think it (just about) works.
