Citizen Kane

Celebrating Jonathan Saul Kane, on the devastating news yesterday of his death at age 55. 

 

I'll aim to add some comments and notes in the days to come. For now, here's a selection of a dozen remixes from 1988 to 2004, mostly as Depth Charge, which is how I first discovered his music.

Rest easy, J.

Post Script / Sleeve notes, 20th November 2024

The first record I owned with a J. Saul Kane credit was by accident in 1990. I'd bought Nothing To Lose on 12" by S'Express in the reduced crate at a local record shop, with a pile of other records. When I got home, I found that although the sleeve was the standard issue, the vinyl inside was the remix 12". 

 

I loved the original version of Nothing To Lose, but J. Saul Kane and Yashiki Gōta's reworking transformed the song from a rousing club anthem to a melancholy imaginary film soundtrack. With beats. It was great and I held onto it. The version here is an edit featured on the 8th volume of the Deep Heat series, which I guess at the time was the 'dance' equivalent of Now That's What I Call Music. Sonique's vocal remain the anchoring point, but the remix takes it on a wildly different journey.

I became quickly familiar with Depth Charge in the early to mid-1990s, not a great surprise perhaps, given my love of Andrew Weatherall, Jack Dangers and Red Snapper and the many points of reference and crossover between these artists, musically speaking. Perhaps no surprise then to find that J. Saul Kane has remixed songs by all three during the 1990s.

The Depth Charge remix of Tow Truck by The Sabres Of Paradise originally appeared on a 12" double A-side with Chemical Brothers providing the other version. Various other reworkings of music from the album Haunted Dancehall were released on 7" and 10", but I held out for the Versus EP compilation on CD, with gathered them all together and threw in a second Depth Charge remix for good measure. All fantastic.

J also offered up two mixes of Acid Again for Meat Beat Manifesto's 1998 single. I've picked the second one mainly because it's shorter running time meant that the selection as a whole didn't push too far over the hour mark. Mix 1 is equally wonderful, believe me.

J has remixed Red Snapper twice too, though different songs, seven years apart. I was tempted to include 1996's Son Of Mook from the Son Of Mook EP, but ultimately went for Regrettable from 2003's Redone album, one of three early 21st century selections. No regrets here, it means business!

Planet Telex is a beloved Radiohead song in any version, but the Depth Charge remix seems to have appeared as a one-off on the 2CD compilation Altered States as I've never seen any reference to it being released as a promo or official single. A shame, as it deserves better than it's relative scarcity.

Midi Rain completely passed me by at the time in the early 1990s, but I subsequently traced them years later during a hunt for J. Saul Kane/Depth Charge remixes. I discovered that Midi Rain was a project/alias for John Rocca, better known to me in the 1980s as the main man with Freeez, who had a massive hit with I.O.U.

J was clearly a fan, as he provided mixes on all five Midi Rain singles and co-mixed the sole album One in 1994. Lots to choose from then, I've picked the Depth Charge remix of Eyes, Midi Rain's 2nd single in 1991.

I could go on, but it's all in the listening. And these are just a few remixes. There's plenty more to delve into and I've not even touched on J. Saul Kane's own catalogue, not least the phenomenal albums Nine Deadly Venoms (1994) and Lust (1999), the latter so huge that it had to be spread across two separate releases. 

Gone, but J's legacy will remain.

1) Dream On (Octagon Man Mix): Depeche Mode (2001)

2) Acid Again (Depth Charge Mix 2): Meat Beat Manifesto (1998)

3) Nothing To Lose (Remix By J. Saul Kane / Gota) (Edit): S'Express ft. Sonique (1990)

4) Woke Up This Morning (Depth Charge): Alabama 3 (1997)

5) Tow Truck (Depth Charge Mix): The Sabres Of Paradise (1995)

6) Beat Dat (Freestyle Scratch Mix By Tim Simenon & Jonathan Saul Kane): Bomb The Bass (1988)

7) Out-Side (Depth Charge Remix): The Beta Band (2004)

8) Eyes (Depth Charge Mix): Midi Rain (1991)

9) Planet Telex (Depthcharge Remix): Radiohead (1995)

10) Regrettable (Depth Charge Remix): Red Snapper (2003)

11) Knowledge 'n' Numbers (Depth Charge Mix): Screaming Target (1991)

12) Fear (Original Mix With Bats) (Remix By Eon & J. Saul Kane): Eon (1991)

 

1988: Into The Dragon: 6

1990: Deep Heat 8: The Hand Of Fate: 3

1991: Eyes EP: 8 

1991: Fear: The Mindkiller EP: 12

1991: Knowledge 'n' Numbers EP: 11

1995: Versus EP: 5 

1996: Altered States: Distorted Dance & Remix Rock: 9

1997: Woke Up This Morning EP: 4

1998: Acid Again EP: 2

2001: Dream On EP: 1 

2003: Red Snapper Redone: 10

2004: Out-Side EP: 7

 

Citizen Kane (1:02:45) (KF) (Mega)

Eclectic Guitar Restrung

Side 1 of a mixtape, compiled 3rd October 1999. 

Another C90-friendly delve into music with guitars. And other stuff. 

 

This might be the only place today where you'll hear The Clash next to Bis, The Doors trading organs with GusGus and Sly & The Family Stone tipping a hat to Magazine.

Play LOUD.

 

1) What Do You Want From Me? (Edit): Monaco (1997)

2) Deep Sleep (US Album Remix By Tom Durack): The B-52's (1990)

3) U-Mass (Album Version): Pixies (1991)

4) Spanish Bombs: The Clash (1979)

5) Action And Drama (Album Version): Bis (1999)

6) Cut Your Hair: Pavement (1994) 

7) Dry The Rain (Single Version): The Beta Band (1997)

8) Twentieth Century Fox: The Doors (1967)

9) Ladyshave (Album Version): GusGus (1999)

10) Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again): Sly & The Family Stone (1970)

11) Rhythm Of Cruelty (Album Version): Magazine (1979)

12) Christianity (Album Version): The Wolfgang Press (1995)

13) A Loon (Strings Version) (Part 2): Kristin Hersh ft. Martin McCarrick (1994)

 

1967: The Doors: 8 

1970: Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again) EP: 10

1979: London Calling: 4 

1979: Secondhand Daylight: 11

1991: Party Mix! / Mesopotamia (USA remixed re-release): 2

1991: Trompe Le Monde: 3

1994: Crooked Rain Crooked Rain: 6

1994: Strings EP: 13

1995: Funky Little Demons: 12

1997: Champion Versions EP: 7

1997: What Do You Want From Me? EP: 1 

1999: Social Dancing: 5

1999: This Is Normal: 9

 

Side One (45:52) (KF) (Mega)
Side Two here

Monoliths

Four sonic slabs to stir the senses on a Sunday. Rescued from the abandoned shopping trolley of an overstuffed music collection, these are not for the faint hearted - the pieces run between 15 and 23 minutes long - but will hopefully have an energising not enervating effect.

1) When We Return You Won't Recognise Us (Manafon Variation): David Sylvian (2011)

2) III: Taj Mahal Travellers (1974)

3) The Monolith: The Beta Band (1998)

4) Alpha Phase (Retranslated By Global Communication aka Tom Middleton & Mark Pritchard): Chapterhouse (1993)

1975: August 1974: 2

1993: Blood Music: Pentamerous Metamorphosis (Retranslated By Global Communication): 4

1998: The Patty Patty Sound EP / The Three E.P.'s: 3

2011: Died In The Wool: Manafon Variations: 1

Monoliths (1:13:25) (KF) (Mega)

Concurrence

Jezebell is a collaboration between Darren Bell, London-based DJ, label owner and promoter, and Jesse Fahnestock, Stockholm-based American DJ and producer who is no stranger to this blog, following this year's remixes and debut album (All Of Us) as 10:40.

 

Jezebell debuted in June this year with their edit of Julian Cope's Safesurfer on Paisley Dark Records, which was featured over at Bagging Area, along with a 10:40 remix of The Beta Band's Inner Meet Me. Both were enough to get me hooked and I've been enjoying everything that's come since. 

 

Jezebell released a new single on Friday, Concurrence, available on Swedish label When Disco Goes Wrong with three remixes. The original is described as "a thundering, dark slice of Eastern psychedelic dub, powered by a half-speed-but-double-attack breakbeat and a gymnastic vocal sample". To these ears, it's like hearing Sheila Chandra with John Bonham on drums and I can't get enough of it. Label co-founder Mårten Attling provides a brace of remixes in his Mindbender alias, the Acid Dub Remix and the Rave Remake delivering on their promise to great effect. The remix package kicks off with the 10:40 Dabadisco Dub, a persistent groove taking the song around the dancefloor before dropping you back home. Four versions, five Euros, worth every cent - buy the lot now.

 

Sticking with 10:40, catching up with my Bagging Area reading at the weekend put me onto a new song, Kissed Again, which was released earlier this month on the Higher Love Vol. 1 compilation. It's a wonderful collection and closes out beautifully with this track, described by Swiss Adam as "blissed out glide-by". He's not wrong. 

 

Concurrence (10:40 Dabadisco Dub) (YouTube): Jezebell (2021)

Buy Concurrence by Jezebell on Bandcamp 

Buy 10:40 on Bandcamp

 

When Disco Goes Wrong

Paisley Dark Records 

Higher Love Recordings

Jellyfish Jam

10:40 aka Jesse Fahnestock is based in Stockholm, Sweden and came to my attention a couple of months ago via Bagging Area, with a blissfully wonderful dub of How Does it Feel? by Spacemen 3. This was enough to get me over to 10:40's Bandcamp page and buy the debut album, All Of Us, released in April. It's been a regular listen since then and one of the tracks, The Forever Yes, featured in my slipshod, sticky tape & scissors Pan-Ambient Summer Washout Mix the following month.

On Wednesday, Swiss Adam highlighted another 10:40 remix, this time the equally wonderful "Outer Hebrides Dub" of Inner Meet Me by The Beta Band. Jesse commented that he had a new release coming out on 11th June, which I purchased and listened to this morning.

10:40 vs. Eagle Harbor is a split single with 10:40 remixing Eagle Harbor (aka Peter Hanks) on the A-side and vice versa on the flip. I'm completely new to Eagle Harbor and can't compare with the original version of "Badwater Lake" but, suffice to say, 10:40's Jellyfish Jam delivers the goods, a pulsing, mid-tempo jaunt with vocals washing in and out like waves. Eagle Harbor remixes Bone Cutter from All Of Us, upping the BPMs over 5 and a half minutes, without ever losing the identity of the original version.

All tracks are well worth a listen and currently available on Bandcamp (All Of Us album included) as a "name your price" purchase.

"Badwater Lake" (10:40's Jellyfish Jam)
Bone Cutter (Eagle Harbor Werewolf Edit)

10:40 on Bandcamp

Paisley Dark Records on Bandcamp
 

50@50, Part Three: 1990-1999

Side One (30:09)

21) Loaded (Andrew Weatherall Mix): Primal Scream (1990)

22) 101 (Sonic Shuffle) (Remix By Andrew Weatherall & Hugo Nicholson): Finitribe (1991)

23) Fallen (Nancy & Lee Mix By Andrew Weatherall & One Dove): One Dove (1992)

24) What Godzilla Said To God When His Name Wasn't Found In The Book Of Life (Home Demo): American Music Club (1993)

25) Becoming More Like God (Radio Edit): Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart ft. Anneli Drecker (1994)

Side Two (25:11)

26) Planet Telex (Album Version): Radiohead (1995)

27) Les Yper-Sound (Album Version): Stereolab (1996)

28) Dry The Rain (Single Version): The Beta Band (1997)

29) Feelings: Leila ft. Donna Paul (1998)

30) Les Nuits (Album Version): Nightmares On Wax (1999)

Side One (30:09)

Side Two (25:11)

This could have been a shorter Side One if I'd included the radio edits of Primal Scream and Finitribe, but it would have been a disservice to both tracks so in true K-Tel tradition, I went for the full half hour side of vinyl for this one, and be damned with the quality. I first heard Loaded on The Chart Show, but the full 12" version was like something transmitted from a parallel universe. And so began my lifelong love affair with the genius that is Andrew Weatherall. Finitribe had previously been an industrial dance act, but 101 took them to a whole new level and again Weatherall provided the extra push over the cliff, not quite chucking in the kitchen sink but slinging a clacking computer printer into the mix. As if that wasn't enough, he enabled Glasgow's One Dove to shine brightly although sadly all too briefly. American Music Club had some major label interest in the early-mid 1990s and I was lucky enough to see them live in concert around this time,  but one of my favourite songs (and song titles) is a scrappy home demo from their Mercury album. Jah Wobble is Jah Wobble. 'Nuff said. The Bends is my favourite Radiohead album and Emperor Tomato Ketchup is my favourite Stereolab album, who were also awesome live in concert. My friend Stu introduced me to The Beta Band via The Patty Patty Sound EP, but it was a defining moment to hear John Cusack drop this song in a pivotal moment in the film version of High Fidelity. Likewise, listening to Leila's Like Weather album in Stu's London bedsit in the wee hours after a night on the town was a defining moment. It was another friend, Dave (long departed, never forgotten), who educated me in all things Nightmares On Wax, including this pre-millenium gem. Our mutual love of electronica and dance music shimmied us into the 21st century, seeking newer and weirder beats. And we got them. And more. Much more.