Happy birthday to Robert Del Naja aka 3D, born 21st January 1965.
Ten songs, four official videos, one fan-made, one visualiser, four audio only, all prime examples of 3D's talent as a vocalist, producer, songwriter and remixer.
Some of these collaborations are new to me: I had no idea 3D had worked with Mike Patton of Faith No More on his Peeping Tom, or that he's produced a remix (all eleven minutes of it) for a reimagining of McCartney III.
And his work with Massive Attack alone is the stuff of legend, not just the music, but the activism and political drive, and the willingness to challenge conventions of live performance.
Side 2 of a cassette compilation, recorded 11th January 1998.
When I posted Side 1 in July 2022, I described it as "eight remixes that I was unlikely to ever hear down the local
indie disco, but which in their own way, kick ass." Side 2 is all that, and more.
If there's a duff remix of Planet Telex by Radiohead, I've yet to hear it. The UNKLE remix was possibly the first one that I heard, tucked away on one of the CD singles for Just, and it remains my favourite.
Likewise, K-Klass took New Order's Ruined In A Day and elevated it to a higher plain, surpassing the original to the extent that I'm pretty sure that this was the version the band 'performed' when they appeared on Top Of The Pops. Or, at least if it's not true, that's how I prefer to remember it.
Arab Strap's reworking of Don't Die Just Yet by David Holmes has appeared here before, as well as in a guest post that I did in January 2021 for The Vinyl Villain. Again, a remarkably strong bundle of remixes from Mogwai, Delakota and Holmes himself and Messrs. Moffat and Middleton.
Closing on a funky but rather more sedate pace is Jon Carter, shrugging off his Monkey Mafia mantle to mix the Manics. Phat beats and a trumpet, what more could you want?
1) Planet Telex (Karma Sunra Mix By UNKLE): Radiohead (1995)
2) You Showed Me (Attica Blues Vocal Mix) (Cover of The Turtles): Lightning Seeds (1997)
3) Richard's Hairpiece (Remix Of "Devil's Haircut" By Aphex Twin): Beck (1997)
4) Ruined In A Day (Reunited In A Day Remix By K-Klass): New Order (1993)
5) Reverence (Tamsin's Re-Fix By Tamsin Elliott): Faithless (1996)
6) The Holiday Girl (Don't Die Just Yet) (Remixed By Arab Strap): David Holmes (1997)
7) Undertow (Spooky Remix By Charlie May & Duncan Forbes): Lush (1994)
8) Kevin Carter (Busts Loose) (Remixed By Jon Carter): Manic Street Preachers (1996)
Today's selection flies the flag for Fila Brazillia aka Dave McSherry & Steve Cobby.
The duo began to record under that name in 1990 but I think it was probably the mid-90s when I particularly became aware of Fila Brazillia via two tracks: their own song A Zed And Two L's and a remix of Cotton Wool by Lamb, which I featured here last month.
This selection focuses exclusively on Fila Brazillia's remix work from the late 1990s to early 2000s, a 45 minute ride taking in The Irresistible Force, King Louis, Lypid, Unitone and UNKLE. There's another great remix of a Lamb track, unreleased at the time in 1996 but which surfaced online circa 2015. The pair also bravely take on a Simple Minds classic. The original of Theme For Great Cities is unbeatable but I like what they've done, increasing the tempo but retaining enough of what makes the song so special. Busta Rhymes also gets Brazillified, the first of what turned out to be (at least) four remixes of Do My Thing across multiple releases. Kids warning on the latter, as Monsieur Rhymes is characteristically potty mouthed throughout.
One thing you can depend on Fila Brazillia for is bringing an irresistible groove to the party and they do not disappoint on any of the eight remixes featured here. I'll be playing this loud today to counter the midweek slump with some midweek funk. Bring it on!
If that's not enough Fila Brazillia for you, the boys have kindly obliged by making a large chunk of their back catalogue available on Bandcamp.
Today's selection was inspired by and is dedicated to the multi-talented John Medd. Thanks, John!
1) Nepalese Fish Dances (Remix By Fila Brazillia): The Irresistible Force (1999)
2) The Sign's Alive (Fila Brazillia Dub Mix): Lypid (2000)
3) Theme For Great Cities (Fila Brazillia Remix) (Full Length): Simple Minds (1998)
Side 1 of a mixtape, compiled in 1998 for my brother and his wife, probably as a Christmas/New Year gift.
The selection is essentially my 'favourites of 1998', with one or two in-year purchases thrown in for good measure. Two of the standout albums for 1998 were Like Weather and Solex vs. The Hitmeister, whilst UNKLE finally delivered their debut as an artist,Psyence Fiction, which had a impressive line-up of guests and almost - but didn't quite - live up to the hype. However, it delivered an outstanding video for Rabbit In Your Headlights and remix by 3D from Massive Attack.
Singles-wise, Cornershop's Sleep On The Left Side included a brace of great remixes from Ashley Beedle, plus the none-more-80s retrofit from Les Rythmes Digitales aka Stuart Price, back when he was masquerading as French DJ Jacques Lu Cont.
Opening track To Ulrike M. appeared on a Select magazine promo CD; the single itself featured remixes by Zero 7 and Tosca (aka Richard Dorfmeister & Rupert Huber), which I've still yet to hear. Every time I hear this track I remind myself that I need to track down a copy, then promptly forget. This has been going on for over two decades now.
Likewise, the Jungle Brothers remix is another that popped up on a promo CD in 1998, this time Melody Maker, and may well have been the first music I'd heard by Midfield General aka Skint label head Damian Harris. The line-up of remixers for the single is a snapshot of 1998: Stereo MCs, Natural Born Chillers, Da Beatminerz, Hardknox, even The Fugees.
A couple of songs were criminally relegated to B-side/EP status, namely Barry Adamson's cinematic cover of Da Juice's 1991 club track Hear The Angels and another track tucked away on the multi-format release of Mansun's Being A Girl. I wasn't a particular fan of Mansun, although I liked the lead track, but I bought one of the two CD singles specifically for Railings, written by and featuring a guest vocal from Howard Devoto. You may not be surprised to read that, in my opinion, it's Mansun's finest song.
Today's photo was taken in St. John's Lane, a side street in Gloucester that leads from the main shopping area and in a roundabout way eventually connects to the cathedral and garden, where I'll often spend a lunch break, when I'm working in the city. The main grafitti quotes Martin Luther King from a speech he gave in St. Louis on 22nd March 1964.
You'll have to zoom in to see it, but I was struck by the handwritten note stuck on the boarding to the left of it, which reads (sic) "If you are readin this, you and your vehicle? are being recorded on C.C.T.V." Judging by the hand prints and stains around the notice, this apparently was an irresistible invitation for some. I hope the C.C.T.V. captured their best side...
1) To Ulrike M. (Original Mix): Doris Days (1998)
2) Behind The Mask (The Orbital Remix): Yellow Magic Orchestra (1992)
3) Sleep On The Left Side (Paris) (Les Rythmes Digitales' Living By Numbers Mix By Stuart Price): Cornershop (1998)
4) Madam, Your Carriage Awaits: Bentley Rhythm Ace (1998)
5) Hear The Angels (Cover of Da Juice): Barry Adamson (1996)
6) Rabbit In Your Headlights (3D Mix-Reverse Light) (Remix By Robert Del Naja & Neil Davidge): UNKLE (1998)
7) Something: Leila ft. Luca Santucci (1998)
8) Brain (Midfield General Remix By Damian Harris): Jungle Brothers (1997)
From goth to groove in 24 hours. Today, I was up early and not in the mood to move. Thankfully, Australia's Angus Gruzman aka Dreems has remedied that with the infectious Opium Tiger, Flying Again. It's a rework of a 2019 song and all the better for it, nearly 13 minutes of groove, that changes tack about halfway. There's also a very indie guitar snippet, which got me thinking of Pink Industry at one point. The remix EP, out today, includes further versions of Flying Tiger by Japan's Zongamin and two from Canada's The Mole, all worth your time and hard earned pennies.
Next up, and out earlier this month, is the UNKLE remix of Krust's Hegel Dialect from his 2020 album, The Edge Of Everything. In typical back-to-front fashion, I haven't heard the album yet, but this remix package (TEOE Remixes #3) is spot on. I think the last UNKLE remix I picked up was in 2015 so this is a welcome surprise.
What will come as no surprise is that Sean Johnson aka Hardway Bros delivers a killer groove on his remix of French producer Margee's Wrong Dream, from the In My Sleep EP released last Friday. 11 minutes of pulsing beats and shimmering synths that feels way too short. Both the Krust and Margee packages include essential remixes from Bristol legend and founding member of The Wild Bunch, Milo Johnson, in his DJ Nature guise.
