Still Dripping Onto My Tongue

Side 2 of a cassette compilation recorded 13th January 2003. A return trip to the early-to-mid 1990s with some mid-week bangers.

 

The first of a double bill of The Grid on this side, Dave Ball and Richard Norris remixing one of Dublin's finest, Fionán Martin Hanvey aka Gavin Friday. You Me And World War Three was a single from Gavin's criminally underrated album, Shag Tobacco. 

From Dublin to London via Bristol as Way Out West rework Lucky Monkeys... well, it's Fluke really, using an alias to release the rather tip top tune Bjango on another label. Bjeautiful bjeats, one might say.

Next up a game of "Where's Bryan?" as Monsieur Ferry's cover of a Screamin' Jay Hawkins classic gets remixed beyond recognition by The Future Sound Of London. There were two Yage mixes on the CD single, one at 5 minutes and the 'Long Version' featured here just tipping the 10 minute mark. 

Shades Of Rhythm are Nick Slater, Kevin Lancaster and Rayan Hepburn. In 1991, they released Sound Of Eden on ZTT, with a re-release featuring a ton of remixes following a couple of years later. The Coco, Steel & Lovebomb Mix featured here is from the re-release (CD single). It's the only Shades Of Rhythm record that I own, but I've just discovered that they've been steadily releasing music from the archives on Bandcamp for the last couple of years, so I will check it out.

Back to The Grid with standalone single Diablo from 1995, featuring the vocals of another Dubhed favourite, Vanessa Contenay-Quiñones. Similar in tone to mega hit Swamp Thing, replacing the Deep South for Mexico, Diablo didn't match the success of the former but I never tire of hearing this song, especially in the full length version included here.

Rounding off this side is Rising High Collective aka Plavka Lonich and Caspar Pound. Caspar sadly passed in 2004, only 33 years old. Plavka has continued in music, both as a collaborator - most famously with Jam & Spoon - and as a solo artist. Her latest single, In The VIP, was released last month and you can find Plavka's recent releases on YouTube.

 

1) You Me And World War Three (Armageddon Mix By The Grid aka Dave Ball & Richard Norris): Gavin Friday (1996)

2) Bjango (Way Out West 'Bjangin' Dub) (Remix By Nick Warren & Jody Wisternoff): Lucky Monkeys (1996) 

3) I Put A Spell On You (Yage Mix Long Version By The Future Sound Of London aka Brian Dougans & Garry Cobain) (Cover of Screamin' Jay Hawkins): Bryan Ferry (1993)

4) Sound Of Eden (Coco, Steel & Lovebomb Mix By Chris Mellor): Shades Of Rhythm (1993)

5) Diablo (Acapulco Gold Mix By Dave Ball & Richard Norris): The Grid ft. Vanessa Contenay-Quiñones (1995)

6) Liquid (Perry & Rhodan Mix By Ralph Hertwig & Tommi Eckart): Rising High Collective (1994)

 

Side Two (45:55) (KF) (Mega)

Side One here

A Little Music For A Groovy Attitude

It's Fluke Friday, with both sides of a mixtape that I recorded on 7th May 1997, featuring remixes of their own tracks and songs by other artists. 

I've previously shared my love for everything that came out of Jon Fugler, Mike Bryant and Mike Tournier's musical brains. They just tapped into something that, for me, absolutely captured the sheer euphoria of the early 1990s, the excitement of entering the last decade of the 20th century and being young, free and (intermittently) single in my twenties.

The quartet of Fluke singles spanning 1993 to 1994 - Slid, Electric Guitar, Groovy Feeling and Bubble - were stunning and should have been massive hits, blasting out of radios everywhere. Their remixes were also a guaranteed 'must buy', even if I didn't know or particularly like the artist. The ones featured here - Björk, New Order, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Pop Will Eat Itself, Yello and Talk Talk - are top notch, but were pretty much the (high) standard for all of their remixes. They even found time to moonlight as Lucky Monkeys, with another stonking Fluke remix to boot. 

A few sleevenotes: 

G.Feel.8.The Popsicle appeared on the Virgin Records compilation Signed Sealed Delivered 2 in 1994. It's actually a(nother) remix of Groovy Feeling, but different enough that it justifies the song featuring twice on one side (well, I think so anyway!). 

 

A remix of Jig appears on the expanded edition of The Techno Rose Of Blighty that was packaged with second album Six Wheels On My Wagon in 1993. I've gone for the John Peel session version here, originally transmitted 25 November 1990.

Squirt was radically remixed and released as a single to promote the Risotto album in 1997. The version here is from the previous album Oto (1995), a more downtempo, darker version which I think is my favourite of the bunch.

I've plenty more Fluke gems in the vault and I've re-posted a previous mixtape below. However, I think this is about as good an overview of Fluke's imperial phase as I could hope. It's definitely going to have me bouncing and jumping to and from work today. Yep, I'll be that guy.

 

Side One

1) Big Time Sensuality (The Fluke Moulimix): Björk (1993)

2) Groovy Feeling (Lolly Gobble Choc Bomb): Fluke (1993)

3) Bubble (Speechbubble): Fluke (1993)

4) Bjango (Fluke Remix 'Six To The Floor'): Lucky Monkeys (1996)

5) Spooky (Magimix By Fluke): New Order (1993)

6) G.Feel.8.The Popsicle: Fluke (1994)

7) Two Tribes (Fluke's Moulimix): Frankie Goes To Hollywood (1994)

Side Two

1) Electric Guitar (Vibrochamp): Fluke (1993)

2) RSVP (Supper Mix By Fluke): Pop Will Eat Itself (1994)

3) Philly (Jamateur Mix: Fluke (1990)

4) Jig (John Peel Session): Fluke (1990)

5) Tosh (Mosh) (Single Version): Fluke (1995)

6) How How (Dee Doo Dee Mix By Fluke): Yello (1994)

7) Squirt (Oto Album Version): Fluke (1995)

8) Life's What You Make It (The Fluke Remix): Talk Talk (1990)

Side One (45:21) (KF) (Mega)

Side Two (45:24) (KF) (Mega)

 

Fluke (Singles) Side One and Side Two