Live It Well

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)

5) Nothing Ever (Tom Sharkett Remix): GLOK / Timothy Clerkin (Alliance Remixed)

6) Surrounded By Spies (Richard Norris Dub): Placebo (Surrounded By Spies EP)

7) Song Of Siraba (Cosmikuro Remix): A Space Age Freak Out (Song Of Siraba EP)

8) My Electric Dreams (Airsine Remix): Pete Bones (My Electric Dreams EP)

9) The Church Of Love (David Holmes Remix): Gavin Friday (The Church Of Love And Dancing EP)

10) Say My Name (Cover of Destiny's Child): Spare Snare (2001) (Love Your Later Stuff)

11) Turn It Yes (Justin Robertson's Five Green Moons Dub): Jezebell (Turn It Yes Remixes Vol. 1 EP)

12) Môgôya (BOM Nation Remix): Namian Sidibé (Remix EP)

Live It Well (1:07:07) (GD) (M)

Critical Maas

An hour of Timo Maas' turn of the century remixes to get your pulse racing.

When I think of dance music in the early 2000s, Timo Maas was everywhere, but seemed to be particularly appealing to guitar noiseniks looking to get a piece of club action. Case in point: Muse, Placebo and Garbage. 

Timo also gave the magic touch to electronic music stalwarts Depeche Mode, Moby, and Rick Simmons and Steve Jones, recording here as Lustral but also known for their releases as The Space Brothers and Chakra.

Topping and tailing the selection from the poppier end of the spectrum, Jamiroquai and Kelis, both songs that were okay(ish) in their original form, but really come alive when put through the Maas mixer.

And I couldn't resist including this photo, taken in Gloucester covered market last month and possibly the saddest looking use of a vacant stall that I've seen. A critical mess, if you will.

1) Feels Just Like It Should (Timo Maas Mix): Jamiroquai (2005)

2) Enjoy The Silence (Timo Maas Extended Remix): Depeche Mode (2004)

3) Sunburn (Timo Maas' Sunstroke Remix): Muse (2000)

4) Special K (Timo Maas Remix): Placebo (2001)

5) We Are All Made Of Stars (Timo Maas Dub Mix): Moby (2002)

6) Everytime (Timo Maas Vocal Mix): Lustral ft. Tracy Ackerman (1999)

7) Breaking Up The Girl (Timo Maas Remix): Garbage (2002)

8) Young, Fresh & New (Timo Maas Remix) (Full Vocal): Kelis (2001)

Critical Maas (1:03:28) (GD) (M)