Bjangin' Bjeats

It's been a long time - too long - since Björk featured here, let alone with a Dubhed selection.

I've stuck with remixes, spanning the first rush of albums from Debut (1993) to Medúlla (2004). Rather than my 'go to' picks by Andrew Weatherall/Sabres Of Paradise, Fluke, Justin Robertson, Howie B. and Underworld/Darren Emerson, I've gone for some deeper cuts, tucked oway on 12" B-sides, CD singles, promos and a stray bootleg.

Whether uptempo or esoteric, what they all have in common is Björk's incredible voice and infectious drive to push the boundaries of what popular music should sound like.

If my ICT wasn't so laggy today, I'd probably have a lot more to say on the subject, but instead I'll let the next three quarters of an hour's music tell you the story.

1) All Is Full Of Love (Plaid Mix By Andy Turner & Ed Handley) (1999)

2) Big Time Sensualty (Big Time Club Mix By Dom T. & Marius De Vries) (1993)

3) Human Behaviour (Deep Behaviour) (Remix By Dimitri From Paris) (1994)

4) All Neon Like (MaDSoul Remix) (2007)

5) Hunter (Skothùs Mix By Alfred More & Biggi Veira) (1998)

6) Who Is It (Vitalic Mix By Pascal Arbez-Nicolas) (2005)

7) Isobel (Siggtriplet Blunt Mix By Siggi Baldursson & Die Warzau) (1995)

8) Mouth's Cradle (Cortejo Affro Ilé Aiyé Mix) (2004)

Bjangin' Bjeats (45:27) (GD) (M)

There Is No Sound Other Than My Heartbeat

A change of pace for today's selection, with the long overdue return of Chinese singer/songwriter Sa Dingding aka Zhou Peng (周鹏). Sa Dingding made her first appearance in part 5 of the 50@50 series which kick started the Dubhed blog back in December 2020 and popped up again in 2021 when I featured a remix of her song Capricorn.

 

This selection draws from five albums: Alive (2007), Harmony (2010), The Coming Ones (2012), remix collection Wonderland (2014) and The Butterfly Dream (2015). It's very hard to track a comprehensive discography, many albums seemingly not formally released outside of Asia. Sa Dingding's debut came out around 1997 and, as far as I can tell, she has not released an album since 2015.

 

Sa Dingding sings in a variety of languages, mostly Mandarin Chinese, Lhasa Tibetan, as well as a self-created language on several songs. Only one of the 13 songs in this selection is in English and provides today's post title.

I've inevitably been listening to a lot of summery, Balearic, upbeat or chilled out music in the past few weeks and Sa Dingding seems to fit right in with what's been on my playlist of late. No surprise then that Paul Oakenfold took an interest, remixing Ha Ha Li Li in 2010 and co-writing Walking Around The Mountain (with a very familiar bassline sample) in 2012.

 

As a late convert in 2019, I'm still dipping in and out of Sa Dingding's music and continually discovering and enjoying new aspects and elements of her music. The fact that I don't understand what she's specifically singing about is irrelevant, the emotional and musical energy is more than enough. I hope that in the next hour you feel the same.

 

1) 飛鳥和花 (Flickering With Blossoms) (Chinese Version) (Album Version By Sa Dingding) (2007) 

2) 天地记 (Ha Ha Li Li) (Remix By Paul Oakenfold ft. Spitfire) (2010)

3) 转山 (Walking Around The Mountain) (Album Version By Sa Dingding) (2012)

4) 绿衣女孩 (Girl In A Green Dress) (Mandarin Vocal) (Album Version By Marius De Vries & Sa Dingding) (2010)

5) 任乾坤 (Yin And Yang) (Album Version By Karsh Kale & Gaurav Raina) (2015)

6) 神香 (Holy Incense) (Tibet Version) (Album Version By Sa Dingding & He Xun-Tian) (2007)

7) 反弹琵琶 (Oriental Beauty) (Album Version By Karsh Kale & Gaurav Raina) (2015)

8) 雀神 (Sparrow God) (Album Version By ConRank) (2014)

9) 来者魔蝎 (The Coming Ones) (Album Version By Sa Dingding) (2012) 

10) 幸运日 (Lucky Day) (English Vocal) (Album Version By Marius De Vries & Sa Dingding) (2010)

11) 如影随形 (Something Like A Shadow Is Following You) (Album Version By Sa Dingding) (2012)

12) 致尚爱 (Dedicated With Love) (ConRank Remix) (2014)

13) 錫林河邊的老人 (Oldster By Xiin River) (Self-Created Language) (Album Version By Sa Dingding & Zhang Hongguang) (2007)

除了我的心跳没有声音 / No Sound Except My Heartbeart (59:08)

Et Deux Créa Les Temps

Inspired by yesterday's response to The Times, I dove deep into the recesses of the attic and rediscovered a box of CD singles containing the 'missing' B-sides I needed to complete the mixtape.

Therefore, much sooner than planned, here is Side Two of a 1998 mixtape, this time dedicated to Brian and Swiss Adam. 

Brian, you may particularly enjoy track 5...

1) Pour Kylie (from Et Dieu Créa La Femme, 1990)

2) "...now what went wrong?" (from Alternative Commercial Crossover, 1993)

3) Soultight (ft. Jan Stevens) (from Finnegans Break EP, 1993)

4) A Girl Called Mersey (Album Version) (from Pure, 1991)

5) Baby Girl (Remix By Marius De Vries & Steve Sidelnyk) (ft. Tippa Irie) (from Baby Girl EP, 1993)

6) Heaven Sent Me An Angel (from Beat Torture, 1988)

7) Mash It Up (from Baby Girl EP, 1993)

8) Snow (Album Version) (from E For Edward, 1989)

9) Confiance (Album Version) (from Et Dieu Créa La Femme, 1990)

10) The Colour Of My Love (ft. Jan Stevens) (from Baby Girl EP, 1993)*

11) Sorry, I've Written A Melody (from Alternative Commercial Crossover, 1993) 

Side Two (44:57)

* This song was later re-recorded and released in 1997 as a single called Love Is Blue, and also featured on Edward Ball's album Catholic Guilt the previous year.