Today The Dub, Tomorrow The World

An hour of dub, disco style, courtesy of Ashley Beedle vs. Deep Dish, Róisín Murphy vs. Crooked Man and Cosmos aka Tom Middleton, before Richard Norris takes you the long way home. 

Let the bass vibrate, the funk flow and the groove move you. 

Much as I'd like to say that this will be soundtracking an afternoon relaxing with a cold drink, maybe a barbecue, and some socialising, closer to the truth that this will be motivating Mrs. K and I as we plough through a weekend's worth of chores before the working week begins again.

I think it'll work in either scenario, and more. Let me know what you think.

1) Revolutions In Dub (Deep Dish Jumpin' At The Bar Parts 1 And 2 (Full Length Extended Versions)): Ashley Beedle (1995)

2) Murphy's Law (Murphy's Big Dub) (Remix By Crooked Man aka Richard Barratt): Róisín Murphy (2020)

3) Summer In Space (Miami Dub Plate Mix By Tom Middleton): Cosmos ft. David Laudat (1999)

4) Shark Tooth Dub Extended: Richard Norris (2023)

Today The Dub, Tomorrow The World (59:29) (GD) (M)

Decayed V: 2008

Side 1 of a mirage-cum-mixtape, the penultimate plunge into the bracing waters of the Noughties.

The things you learn when you're scraping together info for a blog post. Somehow, I managed to get through the whole of 2008 without realising that the United Nations had declared it the International Year of the Potato. What, you too? Who was doing promo for the poor spud?!

Harrison Ford returned as Indiana Jones, the fourth film in the series coming nearly two decades after the original trilogy concluded. I'm not sure it was worth the wait.

Grange Hill left our TV screens, having run every year from February 1978 to September 2008. School was never the same.

BRIT Award winners in 2008 included Adele, Arctic Monkeys, Foo Fighters, Kanye West, Kate Nash, Kylie Minogue, Mark Ronson, Mika, Take That and Paul McCartney, the latter apparently having made an outstanding contribution to music. I must check him out sometime. None of them appear in today's selection.

Black Kids kick things off with I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You, a bit of a mouthful, but a very digestible slice of pop rock that sounds very much like an outtake by The Cure, circa The Head On The Door. The song - and debut album - was co-produced by Bernard Butler, but I never got any further than this CD single.

Hot Chip were slow to grow on me and I'll admit that much as I like them now, I still find Alexis Taylor's singing either engaging or irritating. Ready For The Floor is always a winner, though I was surprised to find that it went Top 10...

...much as I was surprised to find That's Not My Name by The Ting Tings got to #1, yet My Delerium by Ladyhawke was 'only' #33 and A-Punk by Vampire Weekend a mere #55. 

Returning exactly ten years on from his last appearance in the Decadance entry for 1998 is David Holmes, with the title song of the superb album The Holy Pictures. The Verve also got back together in 2008, and split again after fourth album, the imaginatively titled Forth.

The Verve aren't the only ones to aim high and deliver epic music. MGMT were the spearhead of a new prog/psych rush, swapping acid for heroin and wearing what looked like dayglo swimwear. 

The Last Shadow Puppets aka Alex Turner and Miles Kane carried more of Sixties John Barry James Bond soundtrack vibe which meant I bought their debut album before I did the same with Alex's 'main' band, Arctic Monkeys. To date, I've yet to buy any albums by Miles, either with The Rascals or as a solo artist. Sorry, la'.

As if it wasn't bad enough that I missed the International Year of the Potato in 2008, I also missed Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip's song, Letter From God To Man. It's not just the incredible lyrics, the chopped up sample of Planet Telex by Radiohead, or Scroobius Pip's emotive delivery which increases in intensity, it's all of the above. 

Making a welcome comeback since they both appeared in the inaugural Decayed 2000 selection a month ago are Róisín Murphy and Alison Goldfrapp, 

By 2008, Róisín was promoting her 2nd post-Moloko solo album, the rather wonderful Overpowered, including the fab single You Know Me Better, co-written with Andy Cato from Groove Armada. 

Alison and compadre Will Gregory meanwhile released the fourth Goldfrapp album Seventh Tree, which marked a departure from the glitter and glam of predecessor Supernature into more reflective, almost folky territory. Whilst A&E got to #10, follow up single Happiness peaked at #25, which is a shame as it's a gorgeous pop song and a lovely way to wrap up this year's selection.

The end will come tomorrow...

1) I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You (Album Version): Black Kids
2) You Know Me Better (Radio Edit): Róisín Murphy
3) Ready For The Floor (Album Version): Hot Chip
4) A-Punk (Album Version): Vampire Weekend
5) My Delirium (Album Version): Ladyhawke
6) That's Not My Name (U.S. Radio Edit): The Ting Tings
7) Letter From God To Man (Album Version): Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip
8) Holy Pictures (Radio Edit): David Holmes
9) Time To Pretend (Album Version): MGMT
10) The Age Of The Understatement (Album Version): The Last Shadow Puppets
11) Rather Be (Album Version): The Verve
12) Happiness (Album Version): Goldfrapp

3rd February 2008: Made In The Dark (#6): 3

9th March 2008: Vampire Weekend (#55): 4

6th April 2008: Overpowered (#47): 2

13th April 2008: Partie Traumatic (#11): 1

20th April 2008: Oracular Spectacular (#35): 9

20th April 2008: The Age Of The Understatement (#9): 10

20th April 2008: Seventh Tree (#25): 12

18th May 2008: We Started Notrhing (#1): 6

3rd August 2008: Angles (# n/a): 7 *

14th September 2008: The Holy Pictures (#65): 8

23rd November 2008: Forth (#56): 11

14th December 2008: Ladyhawke (#33): 5

Side One (46:03) (GD) (M)

* Letter From God To Man by Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip may not have dented the Official Top 100, but it did get to #48 in the UK's Physical Singles Chart. The fact that such a chart even existed probably says more about the dominance of downloads at this point.

If you're hankering after years gone by, hunker down with my selections for 1988 and 1998.

Optimum Space To Twitch

Celebrating Keith McIvor aka JD Twitch aka one half of the mighty Optimo, following news of his passing on Friday 19th September 2025 at the age of 57.

Last month, it was revealed that Keith had an untreatable brain tumour and funds were raised to support round-the-clock care. And now he is gone. My thoughts and best wishes go to Keith's family, friends and loved ones.

Keith was a legend in music for two reasons: his solo work as DJ and producer JD Twitch; then there was Optimo, or Optimo (Espacio).

The latter had two separate and distinct identities. Optimo (Espacio) was a club night that ran in The Sub Club in Glasgow from 1997 to 2010, a partnership between long-time pals Keith and Jonnie Wilkes. 

Optimo, or Optimo (Espacio) was also a remix and production duo of Keith with Dave Clark, and which provides a heavy contribution to today's selection. The pair have released countless remixes over the years and it's a testament to the quality of their work that this is just as much about what I had to leave out than what I included.

And Keith's remixes as JD Twitch kept the bar very high, as today's picks will attest.

But that wasn't my first experience of Keith's music, though I found this out much, much later. 

In my first forays into downloading MP3s from music sites in 2000 and 2001, I was introduced to Mount Florida via the Matador Records label. I knew next to nothing about, but were subsequently revealed to be a partnership between Keith McIvor and Mike Lancaster. Just five releases between 1997 and 2001 - a 12" of untitled dubs, three EPs and an album, Arrived Phoenix - all excellent.

Today's selection is a tribute to Keith's formidable skills at the controls, redefining trance music for the 21st Century and creating remixes that frequently surpassed the original source song.

I could have gone on and on, but I've restricted my selection to 13 songs and just under 90 minutes. It's not enough, though it manages to span Keith's end of the century excursions with Mount Florida right up to this year's rerub of Primal Scream.

If you're a fan of Keith's music, I hope this serves him well. If you're less familiar with his work, then I hope it inspires you to go looking for more, it's every bit as good as what you'll find here.

Rest well, Keith, you have left so much to savour and remember you by.

1) Life Magazine (An Optimo (Espacio) Mix): Cold Cave (2010)

2) No Social (Optimo Espacio Remix): The Shortwave Set (2008)

3) In Sintesi (JD Twitch Optimo Mix): Róisín Murphy (2014)

4) Buzz In (Optimo Remix): Boris (2009)

5) 18 Hours (Of Love) (An Optimo (Espacio) Remix): K-X-P (2018)

6) Circus Of Life (A JD Twitch Remix): Primal Scream (2025)

7) Autonomia (A JD Twitch Optimo Total Destruction): Mark Stewart vs Primal Scream (2012)

8) G-Twang! (Single Version): Mount Florida (1999)

9) Greater Reward (Piano Power Edit By JD Twitch): Severed Heads (2015)

10) Infected (A JD Twitch Optimo Mix) (Cover Of The The): David Shaw And The Beat (2012)

11) White Rooms And People (A JD Twitch Mix): Working Men's Club (2020)

12) Lost In Satie (Single Version): Mount Florida (1999)

13) Bedjem Mebok (JD Twitch Remix): 10LEC6 (2017)

1999: Stealth EP: 12

1999: Strut EP: 8

2008: No Social EP: 2

2009: Buzz In: Remix Project EP: 4

2010: Life Magazine EP: 1

2012: Autonomia EP: 7

2012: Infected EP: 10

2014: Mi Senti Remixed EP: 3

2015: Big Saints Reward (88-90 Dubs) EP: 9

2017: Bedjem Mebok EP: 13

2018: 18 Hours (Of Love) / Tears (Extended Interlude) EP: 5

2025: Come Ahead: The Remixes Volume One: Vocals: 6

2025: JD Twitch: Heavenly Remixes EP: 11

Optimum Space To Twitch (1:28:51) (GD) (M)

Keep One Step Ahead Of Yourself

Kenny 'Dope' Gonzalez collaborating with Róisín Murphy on a cover of a Talking Heads classic?

When you think of it, why didn't they think of it sooner?

The song in question, Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On), at once feels at home with Kenny's Nuyorican palette of rhythms and grooves, whilst at the same time sounding like it could have been lifted straight from Róisín's current catalogue. 

I've gone for all nine minutes of the extended version here - and why not? - but the original comes in at a more radio-friendly 3:48, whilst a dub version at just under a minute longer rounds out the digital single package available on Bandcamp.

I've clearly not been keeping up with the music press, as Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On) is apparently lifted from Naive Melodies, an expansive tribute to Talking Heads’ rhythmic legacy, due on 24th October.

Naive Melodies is curated by DJ/Producer/Artist Manager Drew McFadden, and features artists that, with a few exceptions like Theophilus London and Wu-Lu, are largely unfamiliar to me. 

I'll need to delve into the album a bit more before deciding to buy but Kenny and Róisín's EP is in the (shopping) bag.

It would be negligent of me not to refer back to the original Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On), with a detour by way of David Byrne's own (re)version from his American Utopia show at the O2 Arena in London on 29th October 2018.

I saw a broadcast version of the entire show on Sky Arts a while back and it was memerising from start to finish. 

And to close,  a fan-made video of the definitive version of Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On) by Talking Heads, taken from their 1980 album Remain In Light. 

By sheer coincidence, this album has been on regular rotation on my playlist in the past month or so, and the grooves are etched deep in my mind. 

L'art De La Discothèque, Volume 2

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. 

From this century (just), there are 9-minute mixes of Bent and Moloko, featuring the vocal talents of Zoё Johnston and Róisín Murphy respectively. From the 1990s, Soho and Yellow Magic Orchestra. The rest are from the 1980s, points along the spectrum including Cabaret Voltaire, Scritti Politti and That Petrol Emotion. 

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.

Combined, the two volumes represent a fraction of François Kevorkian's prodigious output since an uncredited 12" remix of Happy Song by Rare Earth in 1975. 

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) (GD) (M)

That Ol' Magic Is Back

This came out a couple of weeks ago, an excellent ARTE Concert performance from Róisín Murphy.

Forty eight minutes of irresistible grooves, costume changes and Ms, Murphy in fine voice. The crowd is a strange mix of those completely lost in music to the seemingly indifferent to those with big smiles on their faces to the sadly all-too-common gig percentage who appear to watching the entire set through their smartphone viewer.

Songs are mostly drawn from Hit Parade (2023) and Róisín Machine (2020), plus the title track from Overpowered (2007) and, inevitably, Sing it Back, originally a flop for Moloko in 1998 before Boris Dlugosch's remix took it into the stratosphere the following year.

If you've had a challenging, tiring day, week or month, a measure of Murphy should restore your pep, your vim, your vigour and recharge your general feelgood. A living legend.

00:10    Simulation 06:07    Overpowered 12:15     CooCool 17:05    The Universe 21:45     Incapable 30:34    Sing it Back 36:20    Murphy’s Law 40:18    You Knew

In Love With The Light

More gems from this year's releases to distract from the drawing in of the sunsets and the drop in temperature as autumn beds in.

Richard Norris appears twice, firstly remixing Katy J Pearson's cover of Willow's Song from the classic film The Wicker Man then with Lightning Version, a 10-minute dub extravaganza from his Oracle Sound project. As a subscriber to Richard's music, which is worth every penny as it is, I was also recently the beneficiary of a free Oracle Sound T-shirt, which I'm happily modelling for today's selection.

A couple of purchases recommended this year by Swiss Adam at Bagging Area, who is always on the mark. Trotting the globe, New Zealand's Stinky Jim is remixed by British Columbia's Seekersinternational, featuring vocals by Nazamba aka George Scott, who sadly passed in July 2022. From there, it's a trip from Oxford to London via Mozambique as Steve Queralt and Michael Smith are remixed by Nandele Maguni.

 

Róisín Murphy's excellent Hit Parade album has been unfortunately overshadowed by her recent comments on social media, follow up response and what seems to have been a pulling back of promotion and support by record label Ninja Tune. The album, created in collaboration with DJ Koze, isn't quite as immediate as predecessor Róisín Machine but repeated listens reward.  

Dub Pistols have been around forever it seems though this is the first album of theirs that I've bought. Lots of dub and dancehall influences, unsurprisingly, with a great vocal turn from Natty Campbell, I can imagine this would go down a storm in a live setting. 

Jason Buckle's releases as JP Buckle have been a relatively recent discovery, including his quirky Covers mini-album/EP. The selections are quite heavily rooted in 1980s popular culture - Prince & The Revolution, Wham!, U2, Bruce Springsteen - with a few surprises such as a cover of Into The Garden, a 1981 song by post-punk Artery. Perhaps less of a surprise when you know that Jason Buckle is member of JARV Is... and Jarvis Cocker convinced Artery to reform and perform at the Meltdown Festival which he curated in 2007.

Pye Corner Audio possibly need no introduction if you've frequented these pages before. As I wrote last month, Martin Jenkins has released several superb pieces of music this year and the brilliantly-titled Cabaret Sauvage is just one example. I said at the time that the song "immediately strikes as lost Pink Industry outtake, with a striking bass line and synth effects that call to mind 1980s arcade games". 'Nuff said.

 

1) Willow's Song (Richard Norris Ritual Mix) (Cover of Magnet): Katy J Pearson (Willow's Song EP)

2) Steam Fish (Steam Veg Dub) (Remix By Seekersinternational): StinkyJim ft. Nazamba (Social Awareness: The Remixes)

3) Arabiklan (Högt I Tak Remix By Janne Berglund): James Rod (Synthetic Glory EP)

4) Can't Replicate (Album Version By DJ Koze aka Stefan Kozalla): Róisín Murphy (Hit Parade)

5) Moving On: Dub Pistols ft. Natty Campbell (Frontline)

6) Lightning Version: Richard Norris (Oracle Sound Volume One)

7) Cabaret Sauvage: Pye Corner Audio (Cabaret Sauvage EP)

8) Into The Garden (Cover of Artery): JP Buckle (Covers)

9) Vespertina (Nandele Remix By Nandele Maguni): Steve Queralt & Michael Smith (Sun Moon Town Versions)

In Love With The Light (57:49) (KF) (Mega)

I Can Sing A Rainbow #3

A rainbow-themed selection (in the correct polychromatic order, of course, none of this nonsense) was the inspired idea of Martin at New Amusements, who kick started proceedings with a rather excellent selection last Thursday.

 

Suitably fired up, Rol at My Top Ten followed a guest post featuring bands called Rainbow (great work, George) with his own selection of 'rainbow' songs on Wednesday. Again, a fab list with some forgotten gems.

 

And so, never one for an original idea at the best of times, I couldn't resist the temptation to have a go at my own selection of songs featuring the colours of the rainbow in the title. More by accident than design, the oldest song here is from 1994, the most recent 2023.

The song that immediately popped into my head was Basement Jaxx and Red Alert, featuring the aptly-named Blue James (or Blu or Bluski or Belinda, depending on how well you know her). Not only is it a great song, it's also a natural opener and gets things off to a rousing start. Other versions are available, though the radio edit comfortably hits all the sweet spots in just over three and a half minutes.

Taking things down a notch musically but ramping things up lyrically is Elevated Orange by Ali Shaheed Muhammad, on one of his solo outings from A Tribe Called Quest in 2004. I don't know who the intended target of the song is but with its title and lyrics like

Them laws you make
It’s not going to keep you safe
You straight transgressed the means, now it’s time for you to come clean
When I mix it up, it’s going to leave your face twisted up

 

I can't help be reminded of a certain pus bag (former) US president in the here and now...

 

Lee 'Scratch' Perry up next with Yellow Tongue from his superb 2008 album The Mighty Upsetter, produced by Adrian Sherwood. 'Scratch' is joined on this song by Tunisian-French singer Samia Farah, who I first encountered as one of the On-U Sound collective guesting on Sherwood's 2006 solo album Becoming A Cliché. It's hard to believe that it's coming up to two years since Lee 'Scratch' Perry left us, so present is his music in the soundtrack of my life.

 

I know very little about The Allender Band as this song appeared on a freebie CD with Bristol's (now defunct) listings magazine Venue back in 2008. Discogs tells me that Green Wound was also the lead song on their EP from the same year, In The Grip Of Light. The Allender Band released an album called Outer Dark in 2009 and that appears to be it. Founding member Robin Allender joined Yann Tiersen's touring band that year (as did drummer Dave Collingwood) and appears to have had a fruitful and diverse career since, not least as a solo musician and a stand-up comedian. I really like this song, so I should check out more of Robin's music, especially as it's Bandcamp Friday. 

 

Blue was my first purchase by Bark Psychosis and came on the back of frankly lazy music journo comparisons with late-period Talk Talk. Bark Psychosis are/were much more than that, though Graham Sutton (as Boymerang) did go on to remix .O.Rang, the band formed by former Talk Talk members Paul Webb and Lee Harris. My copy of Blue is on rather lovely but very crackly white vinyl 12" single with the full length version of the song. This edit was on the CD and 1997 compilation Game Over.

 

Indigo was an easier choice for me as I have a few in my collection but The All Seeing I's remix of the 2000 single by Moloko was my immediate thought. Any excuse to shoehorn Róisín Murphy into a post for the second time this week. Jason Buckle is currently a member of Jarvis Cocker's 'other band' and has released a steady stream of albums this year - two in July alone - as JP Buckle, which are all worth checking out. With song titles like Guns Versus Butter, Return Of Super Dirty, Quick Jimmy Riddle and Tinker Taylor Soldier Funk, you know you're onto a winner.

 

Violet was a toss-up between an Andrew Weatherall song and my final choice, Stonehouse Violets from The Bluebells' wonderful album from earlier this year, In The 21st Century. I didn't know much about The Bluebells apart from 1980s singles Young At Heart and Cath and the album - their first in over three decades - is a great listen from start to finish. This is one of my favourite songs, too.

 

1) Red Alert (Jaxx Radio Mix): Basement Jaxx ft. Blue James (1999)

2) Elevated Orange: Ali Shaheed Muhammad (2004)

3) Yellow Tongue: Lee 'Scratch' Perry ft. Samia Farah (2008)

4) Green Wound: The Allender Band (2008)

5) Blue (Edit): Bark Psychosis (1994)

6) Indigo (All Seeing I Glamoloko Edit): Moloko (2000)

7) Stonehouse Violets: The Bluebells (2023)

I Can Sing A Rainbow (31:10) (KF) (Mega)

And if you're disappointed with Mr. Tumble and a succession of other charlatans giving the wrong colours of the rainbow in the wrong order, here's my go-to...

 

Oh, and a final thanks to John Medd, for inspiring me to take pictures of old red telephone boxes for the monthly photo challenge on his blog, Are We There Yet? 

 

Today's image is a filtered, messed around with photo of a solitary red box in a neighbouring village. All looks quiet and peaceful, but cropped out of sight was what seemed to be a mass gathering of villagers milling on the street for an imminent party. Hopefully, not of the lynching variety, having spotted the 'not local' skulking around their precious phone box. Needless to say, I beat a hasty retreat after a long distance photo...

Fan The Flame!

Jessie Ware has just released a new single, Freak Me Now, featuring "Queen Of Disco" Róisín Murphy, which was enough to make me sit up and pay attention.

 

I'll be honest, I see Jessie on TV a lot - she seems to be a semi-permanent guest on Sunday Brunch, for one - but I'd be hard pressed to name any of her songs. A quick check of my collection reveals the sum total of three songs featuring Jessie: one solo, one with Disclosure, one solo and remixed by Disclosure. 

Róisín on the other hand is someone whose music I've followed with great interest since Moloko arrived on the scene in the mid-1990s and, to these ears, has just got better and better and better since going solo in the early 2000s. She has an album of all-new material, cheekily-titled Hit Parade, out on Ninja Tune in September and I for one will be straight on it.

Freak Me Now is a reworked version of a track from Jessie's album That! Feels Good! which came out at the end of April. Both the song and the video are an explosion of colour and it looks like Jessie and Róisín had great fun raiding the dressing up box. The exuberance and joi de vivre burst from the speakers and will have you shaking your booty before you know it, for which I will apologise in advance to those who may be witness to this on my commute to and from work.

Very few mentions of this in the video credits or other parts of t'internet so I'll do my bit and give a shout out to the song's other guest vocalist Clarence Coffee Jr. (nice titfer, Clarence). He co-wrote Freak Me Now with Jessie and super-producer Stuart Price (who I recall with much affection from his early work as Jacques Lu Cont / Les Rhythmes Digitales).

 

All in all, Freak Me Now is three minutes and thirty three seconds of irresistible sunshine pop. If that's not enough for you, Jo Disco has supplied a promo extended mix, stretching it out to a cool five minutes. The single remix is available digitally in all the usual places.

I Lay Eggs Every Single Time I Think Of You

The lyric in the post title alone may be enough to tell you that it's Róisín Murphy.

Fader is Róisín's third single of 2023 (fourth counting 12"-only release Can't Replicate) and a precursor to sixth album Hit Parade. Not, as you might first think, an end-of-contract record label 'best of' mop up, but a new album of thirteen songs and her first for Ninja Tune.

 

I love Róisín Murphy as an artist because she delights, inspires and provokes interest on so many levels, from her music to lyrics to performance (both in the studio, at home (especially during lockdown) and on stage) to art direction and design to her wardrobe and the words and thoughts that explode from her brain during interviews. The video for Fader adds walking to the list. Róisín is the full package and, in a fair world, would be mentioned in the same breath as your Eltons and your Vans and (yes, I'm going to say it) your Adeles and your Swifts.

 

I mean, I thought Moloko were great but Róisín just gets better and better and better. Fader is a fab song in it's own right and the video does exactly what all great videos should do and enhances the experience. The sheer joy of Róisín's walk through her birthplace Arklow in County Wicklow, Eire, weaving in and out of a procession of dancers, brass bands, gymnasts, cub scouts and flag bearers, emanates from the screen. I like to imagine that that's basically how Róisín treats every excursion, whether it's a the walk to the stage for a live performance or a trip to Aldi to buy some frozen peas. 

 

I haven't got tickets for her concert at Alexandra Palace in London next February; it'll be an incredible experience, undoubtedly. Her performance at Glastonbury last year, which I enjoyed via BBC iPlayer and included a memorable walk to the stage, was one of the highlights of the entire festival. As if further proof is needed, here's a brilliant performance of Fader last month at the Albert Hall in Manchester.

 

As a reminder of her greatness before her new album lands, I've restored links to the Róisín Murphy selection that I posted on 27th June 2022. Hit Parade is out on 8th September and available for pre-order now, links via her website.

 

Easier Than A Comedown

For your weekend delectation, an hour long mix of favourite tunes from the last couple of years, with a few samples and stems thrown in to spice things/mask some dodgy segue-ways (delete as applicable).

Persevere and you will get some wonderful tunes courtesy of Róisín Murphy and The Orielles, an unexpected appearance from Annie Hogan with Kid Congo Powers, a rather good cover version/remix of Groove Armada's Superstylin' and living legends David Holmes, A Certain Ratio and Humanoid. I've also dusted off a song by Iklan featuring Law Holt. If the band name isn't familiar, you will undoubtedly have heard of them in their previous incarnation, when they had a rather big hit with this song.

 

I just went with the flow, so the mix is all over the place BPM-wise and I'm not sure if you're supposed to dance, relax or just arch your eyebrows at various points throughout. If it makes you smile, shimmy, sigh (happily not dejectedly) or, even better, all three then my job is done. You can see why I don't do this for living, can't you?!

 

1) Look For What's Looking: Alex Donofrio (2021)

2) Maneki Neko (Watch Sample): Miss Kittin (2013)

3) Into The Madness: Mundo D (2022)

4) sT8818r (Yage Remix By Brian Dougans & Garry Cobain): Humanoid (2022)

5) "...a ghost": Lord Of The Flies OST (1963)

6) Kingdom Of Ends (Album Version By Crooked Man aka Richard Barratt): Róisín Murphy (2020)

7) Stelele (Sakdat & Balaur Remix - Dub): Unu' Marika (2021)

8) No Use: Iklan ft. Law Holt (2020)

9) Superstylin' (Rob Smith aka RSD - Remix) (Cover of Groove Armada): Rude Boy ft. Kardi Tivali (2021)

10) "...you're nicked": John Thaw (The Sweeney OST) (1975)

11) It's Over, If We Run Out Of Love (Working Mens Club Remix): David Holmes ft. Raven Violet (2022)

12) Get A Grip (Maps Remix By James Chapman): A Certain Ratio ft. Maria Uzor (2021)

13) Yuka (Ranga Remix By Coen Helfenrath & Ted De Jong): Flamingods (2017)

14) My Career (Mekon Remix By John Gosling): A.M Hogan ft. Kid Congo Powers (2021)

15) Prince Introducing "Purple Rain": Prince (1984)

16) Sjaj (Dan Wainwright Remix): DJ Magija (2020)

17) Dancing Flame '21: Faint Waves (2021)

18) Bobbi's Second World (Confidence Man Remix): The Orielles (2020)

19) Looking (VC Man Swell Stem): Tosca (2013)

20) Deeper Space: Pye Corner Audio (2020)

Easier Than A Comedown (1:00:30)

 

Acoustic Tent

I've been catching up with the BBC's Glastonbury coverage on iPlayer this week: Róisín Murphy, Yves Tumor, Saint Etienne, Confidence Man, Bicep... the list goes on. I feel the need to calm things down a bit for Sunday so here's 45 minutes of acoustic loveliness for your aural pleasure.

Paul Weller gets things off to an atypically rousing start with a bit of effing and jeffing, but it's generally family friendly language from there on. Charlotte Hatherley pops up twice, once as a solo artist and again near the end with former bandmates Ash. Patrick Duff delivers a beautiful version of Moon River from Breakfast At Tiffany's and the selection closes with someone you might not expect.

 

1) Come On/Let's Go (Acoustic Demo): Paul Weller (2006)

2) Easy In The Sunshine (Acoustic): Emilíana Torrini (2000)

3) This Is The Day (Live Acoustic US Radio Session): The The (2000)

4) Murphy's Law (Acoustic) (Live @ Home): Róisín Murphy (2020)

5) Crystal Frontier (Acoustic): Calexico (2001)

6) I Want You To Know (Acoustic Version): Charlotte Hatherley (2007)

7) Buzzing Round The Honey Pots (Acoustic): Dot Allison (2009)

8) Moon River (Live Acoustic Version @ BBC Radio Bristol) (Cover of Audrey Hepburn): Strangelove (1996)

9) The Sea (Acoustic Demo): Morcheeba (1996)

10) The Party (Acoustic): The Dream Academy (1985)

11) Broken & Mended (Acoustic Version): The Blue Aeroplanes (1995)

12) Burn Baby Burn (Acoustic Version): Ash (2001)

13) Too Many Walls (Acoustic Version): Cathy Dennis (1991)

1985: Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want EP: 10

1995: Sugared Almond EP: 11

1996: Sway EP: 8 

1996: The Music That We Hear (Moog Island) EP: 9

2000: Easy EP: 2 

2001: Crystal Frontier EP: 5

2001: Free All Angels (ltd 2x CD): 12

2006: Come On/Let's Go EP (Japan-only CD single): 1

2007: I Want You To Know EP (promo CD single): 6 

2009: Buzzing Round The Honey Pots (official website exclusive download): 7

2014: Move To This (Deluxe Edition) (2x CD): 13

2020: Live @ Home for Festival Marvin 9.5, 10th December 2020: 4

2022: Official Bootleg 005: 3

Acoustic Tent (45:47) (Box) (Mega)

Alien Feelings

After her stellar performance at Glastonbury, time to spotlight my favourite dancefloor diva. Diana Ross? Sod that, it's Róisín Murphy.

 

Bless the BBC and their Glastonbury coverage. Having the iPlayer app means that I've been able to dip in and out of the festival over the weekend and I can continue to do over the next week. It's absolutely not the same as being at a festival but some artists really pull out all the stops to provide the audience in the field and at home. 

 

Róisín kicked off her set like it was one of those Top Of The Pops "live across the Atlantic" performances that they featured in the early 2000s, backstage, travelling band walking behind her as she launched into a version of Moloko's Fun For Me. Even when Róisín arrived on stage, her eyes and performance were locked on the people at home, detracting attention from the band taking up position behind their kit. And then, as it remembering the thousands of people right there with her, Róisín skipped to the front of the stage to complete the song.

With as many costume (or accessory) changes as there were songs, it's an hour and half of pent up joy, finally released to an appreciate audience. Even on a Sunday night, sitting shattered on a sofa (try saying that ten times in quick succession), I felt my energy levels and sense of well-being rising.

 

In an amateur attempt to recapture that sense of euphoria and forestall the reality of a Monday back at work, today's selection features Róisín Murphy in uptempo mode, from (I think) her first solo outing before Moloko split covering Pulp to remixes from the superb lockdown panacea, 2020's Róisín Machine. What an absolute legend.

Oh, and early love and best wishes for Róisín's birthday next Tuesday, 5th July.

 

1) Sorted? (Cover of 'Sorted For E's & Whizz' by Pulp) (2002)

2) Murphy's Law (Cosmodelica Remix) (Full Length) (2020)

3) Sow Into You (Bugz In The Attic Remix) (2005)

4) Movie Star (Sam & Di Angelis 'For Jodie Harsh' Remix) (2008)

5) Unputdownable (Prosumer Remix) (2015)

6) Slave To Love (Single Version) (Cover of Bryan Ferry) (2008)

7) If We're In Love (Matthew Herbert's Lovers Remix) (2005)

8) Evil Eyes (Hercules & Love Affair Remix) (2015)

9) Primitive (Album Version) (2007)

10) Incapable (The Reflex Re√ision) (2021)

11) Overpowered (Kris Menace Remix) (2007)

12) In Sintesi (Psychemagik Remix) (2014)

Alien Feelings (1:11:00) (Box) (Mega)