All Guerilla, No Filla

The Guerilla record label shone briefly but oh so brightly. Launched in 1990 by William Orbit and Richard O'Dell aka Disc O'Dell, it ran until 1994 (although it was 2003 before the company was formally dissolved).

The sight of the custom camouflage 12" single designed by Steven Cook - sometimes in blue, sometimes in green - in the record rack was a happy moment, a guarantee of quality locked in the grooves.

Guerilla was instrumental in bringing progressive house music to a wider audience and in particular introducing me to artists such as Spooky, D.O.P. and React 2 Rhythm, who have remained required listening ever since. 

William Orbit debuted Bassomatic (or Bass-o-matic, if you prefer) on the Guerilla before a deal with Virgin Records beckoned, and released the seminal Water From A Vine Leaf, featuring Beth Orton and remixes from Spooky and Underworld. An edit of the original version closes this selection.

Spooky and Underworld teamed up for a classic remix of the former's single Schmoo, getting today's mixtape off to a rousing start. 

Spooky make three further appearances, firstly remixing Jo Bogaert (the brains behind Technotronic) and The Chameleon Project aka D.O.P. aka Kevin Hurry and Kevin Swain. 

There's also Persuasion, their frankly stunning collaboration with Billie Ray Martin on the Throbbing Gristle song, with D.O.P. returning the favour on remix duties.

D.O.P. (Dance Only Productions, if you were wondering) released two volumes of Musicians Of The Mind, which don't get the attention and respect afforded to contemporary albums by Underworld, Orbital or Fluke, but were must-have purchases at the time and still hold up, thirty years on.

Speaking of Orbital, they dub up early Drum Club single Alchemy, whilst Glasgow legends Slam soup up Supereal.

I could go on about the rest of the selection, the glaringly obvious omissions, the expertly curated compilations that Guerilla issued in those golden years. Instead, I'll just point you to the music for the next 87 minutes. I'd love to hear what you think.

1) Schmoo (Underworld Mix): Spooky ft. Heather Sian Wildman (1993)

2) Go Getta Nutha Man (The Whole Shabang Mix By Phil Kelsey): Bassomatic ft. Divine & Glory B (1991)

3) I Still Want Ya (Nooshty Mix By Lisa Loud & Mat Clark): Outer Mind (1992)

4) Ooh La La (Album Version): D.O.P. (1993)

5) Your Face In My Mind (Pat Pong Ghekko Blast Mix By William Orbit): Lizzie Tear (1990)

6) Rhythm Addiction (Lea Bridge Road Mix By Sugar J. & F.C. Harmony): React 2 Rhythm (1990)

7) Alchemy (Phasers On Dub Mix By Orbital): Drum Club ft. Kate Holmes (1993)

8) Water (Spooky's Heavy Water Mix): Jo Bogaert (1994)

9) Feel (Spooky Remix (Part 1)): The Chameleon Project (1993)

10) Persuasion (D.O.P. Mix) (Cover of Throbbing Gristle): Billie Ray Martin & Spooky (1993)

11) United State Of Love (The Slam Remix): Supereal ft. Janet Cofie (1992)

12) Fight Back (Rootsman Version By Digidub aka Lee Berwick): The Moody Boys (1994)

13) Water From A Vine Leaf (Album Edit): William Orbit ft. Beth Orton (1993)

1990: Rhythm Addiction EP: 6

1990: Your Face In My Mind EP: 5

1991: Go Getta Nutha Man EP: 2

1992: I Still Want Ya EP: 3

1992: United State Of Love EP: 11

1993: Alchemy EP: 7

1993: Guerilla Remix EP: At The Moment Of Impact: 9

1993: Musicians Of The Mind Volume 2: 4

1993: Persuasion EP: 10

1993: Schmoo EP: 1

1994: Recycled EP: 12

1994: Water EP: 8

2003: Pass In Time: The Definitive Collection: 13

All Guerilla, No Filla (1:26:54) (GD) (M)

Decayed I: 2000

Side 1 of a faux FX Super Ferric C90 cassette, properly kicking off a new series of mixtapes that never were, and a follow on from my previous runs through the 1980s and 1990s.

There was a thirty five year gap between Decade and its sequel, Decadance (sic). A mere eight months' wait this time!

The 2000s was a significant decade for me: I became a house owner, a husband, a father; I changed jobs; I got a home computer (with dial up internet!); I went to more comedy gigs than music gigs; I finally went to Japan with Mrs. K, and we had an unforgettable month there.

I also listened to music, lots of music, but even that was changing. Whereas the move from the 1980s to the 1990s had seen a shift from vinyl to CDs, as the 2000s progressed, there was a further shift from CDs to MP3s.

Entering the decade, I was still making mixtapes, though that shifted quickly to CD-Rs as soon as Casa K had a computer and printer set up at home. Times were changing, and I was trying to keep up.

I was no longer keeping up with Top Of The Pops or the UK charts, though. The former had pretty much lost me in the previous decade, with the predominance of bland bands that were visually and aurally uninteresting. 

Likewise, the stupid marketing of the early 2000s saw a smaller number of songs spread across an increasing number of formats. The chances of getting a decent, value-for-money EP were a thing of the past and instead, completists would be forced to buy the two or three CD singles, possibly a DVD and/or a 12" vinyl, to get a mere 5 or 6 songs.

First week promos and multi-buy deals meant that the chances of singles getting to #1 in the UK were pretty good; staying at #1 (or even remaining in the Top 10) by week two less so. According to Iffypedia, there were 274 UK #1 singles in the 2000s, 11 of those by Westshite, which illustrates better than anything how bad things were.

And yet... despite my expectation that this series would highlight a yawning chasm between music I enjoyed and chart success, I've been surprised by the consistent hits across this series. Starting with today's selection, there are a fair number of songs that either didn't chart or failed to crack the Top 30, but there are more Top 5s than I was expecting, too.

Enough of my yakking, let's get into things with the year 2000.

Last Sunday's Decayed Prelude revealed a number of artists that failed to make the cut for any of the ten upcoming selections. Likewise, many in the next five weeks will make just one appearance, including today's opening act, Primal Scream.

When I 'reviewed' their XTRMNTR album for the back page of an A5 DIY comic zine that I was selling in Forbidden Planet for 50p, it amounted to one word: FLLR. My opinion hasn't significantly shifted in the quarter century since: it's a good (imaginary) compilation of mixes and B-sides, but didn't and doesn't hang together for me as a proper album.  

Much as I love Kill All Hippies with it's samples of Linda Manz from Dennis Hopper's 1980 film Out Of The Blue and one of the filthiest basslines ever, it didn't (excuse the pun) scream 'single!" to me. Yet it was, I bought it, and it got to #24.

All Saints were also enjoying continuing success by association with a film, albeit a contemporary release. I revisit the soundtrack to The Beach more often than the film itself, due to the spot-on choice of artists. 

I wasn't a fan of All Saints, but I was a sucker for William Orbit's bleeps and bloops and on Pure Shores, it was a perfect pairing. The record buying public agreed, and it scored All Saints their fourth UK #1.

Other Top 5 hits include Kids by Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue, a pop song so good that they both included it on their albums released that year. The single was held off the top spot by U2 (Beautiful Day), though both were supplanted by Steps and the Baha Men the following week.

Porcelain was about the 500th single from Moby's mega-successful Play (an achievement in itself, given that there are only 18 songs on the album). The single peaked at #5, the most successful of the Play singles released here. 

Moloko are the third and final Top 5 contender this time, with the sublime The Time Is Now and my personal favourite of everything that Róisín Murphy and Mark Brydon wrote and recorded together. You've got Melanie C and Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes to thank for keeping this cracker off the top spot, as they released Never Be The Same Again the same week. Prophetic words, as Westshite had evicted them a week later.

Apart from Primal Scream, other Top 30 artists featured here include Black Box Recorder and Finley Quaye, whilst The Dandy Warhols just missed out on the Top 40 this time around with Bohemian Like You. However, they returned with a vengeance (and the same song) the following year, thanks to its use in a Vodafone advert.

Given that I ditched Groovejet by Spiller and Sophie Ellis-Bextor from my 2000 shortlist, the inclusion of obscure Australian electronic act Gerling may be a surprise. What was a surprise to me was that their single Enter Spacecapsule actually made it to #33. I picked it up on spec from the bargain bin at Replay Records in Bristol at the time and immediately fell in love with it. I had a similar reaction to the Mekon single guest starring 80s legend Roxanne Shanté. Bring it on!

Likewise with the lush combo of strings and beats, courtesy of ex-Voodoo Queen, Anjali. Lazy Lagoon was one of the very first MP3s I downloaded (for free) from the Wiiija Records website in 2000. Took bloody ages thanks to my ultra slow dial-up internet connection, though it was worth it. The single failed to chart - I bought the CD single a while later, dirt cheap - but it and the eponymous debut album that homes it, comes highly recommended.

Shocking to think now that Lovely Head, the debut single by Goldfrapp, also failed to chart back in the day. I've pretty much lost track of what Alison Goldfrapp is up to these days, though her work with Will Gregory still has the power to thrill and this song in particular had it all from the start. Excellent whistling, too.

As with the previous series, the info nerd in me has insisted on including info at the end, listing each single's peak (UK) chart placing and date, and the relevant album it sprung from (or EP if it was a standalone single).

Sunday, as it must, will take a long, hard look at 2001. Space odyssey or space oddity? I'll leave you to decide.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the next 45 minutes of sounds from 2000!

And, if you want even more nostalgia, I've reactivated the previous selections for 1980 and 1990.

1) Kill All Hippies (Brendan Lynch Edit): Primal Scream ft. Linda Manz

2) Pure Shores (The Beach Life Mix By William Orbit): All Saints

3) Kids (Album Version): Robbie Williams & Kylie Minogue

4) Porcelain (Single Version): Moby

5) Enter Spacecapsule (Radio Disko Remix): Gerling

6) Lazy Lagoon (Album Version): Anjali

7) The Facts Of Life (Radio Edit): Black Box Recorder

8) Lovely Head (Album Version): Goldfrapp

9) The Time Is Now (Edit): Moloko

10) Spiritualized (Album Version): Finley Quaye

11) What's Going On? (Edit): Mekon ft. Roxanne Shanté

12) Bohemian Like You (Album Version): The Dandy Warhols

20th February 2000: Saints & Sinners / The Beach (Motion Picture Soundtrack) (#1): 2

26th March 2000: XTRMNTR (#24): 1

26th March 2000: Things To Make And Do (#2): 9

16th April 2000: The Facts Of Life (#20): 7

5th June 2000: Felt Mountain (# n/a): 8 *

18th June 2000: Play (#5): 4

25th June 2000: Enter Spacecapsule EP (#33): 5

3rd September 2000: Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia (#42): 12 **

17th September 2000: Vanguard (#26): 10

17th September 2000: Relax With Mekon (#43): 11

15th October 2000: Sing When You're Winning / Light Years (#2): 3

22nd October 2000: Anjali (# n/a): 6

Side One (45:31) (GD) (M)

* Lovely Head had a second bite of the (black) cherry when it was re-released as a double A-side with Pilots (On A Star), peaking at #68 the week of 11th November 2001.

** Likewise, a re-release of Bohemian Like You rocketed the single to #5 in the week of 4th November 2001.

Decadance II: 1993

Side 2 of my 'maginary 90s mixtape, focusing on 1993.

 

The carefree college days were drawing to a close, and final exams loomed. 

 

I got to look at the work of Joan Miró, Antoni Gaudí, Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso and many more up close and personal for the first time in Barcelona. 

 

I went with my girlfriend, her best fried and boyfriend to the inaugural Phoenix Festival in Stratford-upon-Avon, where I saw, amongst others, Manic Street Preachers, Sonic Youth, Faith No More, Julian Cope (who I saw twice in '93), The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy, Utah Saints, Back To The Planet, House Of Pain, Sandals, Senser, The Young Gods, Credit To The Nation, Ian McNabb, Sheep On Drugs, The Black Crowes and Pop Will Eat Itself. Only one of them makes an appearance in today's selection.

 

Poor old Pop Will Eat Itself. This is the second time that PWEI made it to the last 14 and failed to survive the final edit. They'll be even more gutted that on this occasion, the nearly ran was Get The Girl! Kill The Baddies! which was surprisingly a #9 hit in January 1993 and, perhaps less surprisingly, their only Top 10 hit. The window of opportunity is closing for the lads as 1994 would prove to be the last time they cracked the Top 40. 

So which of the Phoenix Festival luminaries made it? Credit To The Nation of course, with their Nirvana riffing anthem that is Call It What You Want. Front person Matty Hanson was a compelling performer on stage, and they deserved bigger and better things.

 

Not the only rap to show up here, with Cypress Hill, whose song landed in my grubby mitts in 1994, courtesy of Reading Present, a cover-mounted cassette freebie with Melody Maker. Having no tolerance for potty language, of course, the UK single was re-titled When The Ship Goes Down (or Sh--, depending where you saw it promoted).

 

When it came to choosing today's Mandatory Andrew Weatherall...well, I couldn't. In fact, at one point, I nearly went for the triple with the squalling, spiky Sabres Of Paradise remix of Leftfield/Lydon's mighty Open Up. Instead, there's One Dove with White Love. There was a sanitised, radio friendly single verson, but the one to go for is the Guitar Paradise mix by Andrew and the band with Sabres compadres Jagz Kooner and Gary Burns. Much as I would love to include the full length album version, it's well over ten minutes, so here's the US promo edit, which was also used for the official video. Dot Allison is of course uber cool throughout.

 

The second MAW for 1993 is New Order's comeback single, Regret. I'll be honest, I didn't warm to the single when I first heard it, but Andrew, Jagz and Gary opened my eyes and ears to it's potential with a couple of next-level remixes. The Slow 'n' Lo remix is just shy of thirteen minutes, split into vocal and dub halves; this is the former, a sublime skank that suits Bernard's voice perfectly.

 

Also getting two bites of the cherry are Fluke, firstly with their remix of Björk's Big Time Sensuality, which she loved so much that it became the official single and video version. You can see why, it's four minutes of pure joy. I loved Fluke's previous music, but this tipped into something of an obsession in 1993, with the release of The Techno Rose Of Blighty, a slew of superb singles (including Slid, today's featured song) and tons of top notch remixes. As with Andrew Weatherall, I tried my darnedest to track down everything that had Fluke on it. Still love 'em as much now as I did then.

 

The same can be said for Justin Robertson, who expanded from DJing and remixing to releasing original music as Lionrock, accompanied by wordsmith MC Buzz B. Packet Of Peace was the second single and the first of four Top 40 hits.

 

Not that the rest of today's selection is anything less than excellent. No #1's this time perhaps but nine Top 40 hits is not to be sniffed at. And the ones that didn't make the Top 40 really should have.

 

1994 was a bit of a divergent path in my life, but what remained unwavering was my love for music. Some good tunes coming up? Probably!

 

1) Big Time Sensuality (The Fluke Minimix): Björk

2) Who Do You Think You Are (Single Version) (Cover of Candlewick Green): Saint Etienne ft. Debsey Wykes

3) When The Shit Goes Down (Diamond D Remix By Joseph Kirkland): Cypress Hill

4) White Love (Guitar Paradise Edit By One Dove & Sabres Of Paradise): One Dove

5) Walking In My Shoes (Random Carpet Single Edit By William Orbit): Depeche Mode

6) Regret (Sabres Slow 'n' Lo (Vocal) Remix By Sabres Of Paradise): New Order

7) Cannonball: The Breeders

8) Packet Of Peace (7" Edit By Justin Robertson & Mark Stagg): Lionrock ft. MC Buzz B

9) Slid (Glid Edit): Fluke

10) Call It What You Want (Single Version): Credit To The Nation

11) Animal Nitrate: Suede

12) Feed The Tree: Belly

 

17th January 1993: Feed The Tree EP (#32): 12

28th February 1993: Animal Nitrate EP (#2): 11

14th March 1993: Slid EP (#59): 9

18th April 1993: Regret EP (#4): 6

2nd May 1993: Packet Of Peace EP (#32): 8

9th May 1993: Walking In My Shoes EP (#14): 5

16th May 1993: Call It What You Want EP (#57): 10

23rd May 1993: Hobart Paving/Who Do You Think You Are EP (#23): 2 

1st August 1993: White Love EP (#43): 4 

15th August 1993: Last Splash (#40): 7

26th September 1993: When The Shit Goes Down EP (#19): 3

28th November 1993: Big Time Sensuality EP (#17): 1

 

Side Two (46:32) (GD) (M)

How Are You Feeling? It's A Beautiful Morning!

Keeping with yesterday's uplifting vibes, today's selection is a clutch of songs (mostly) from the early 1990s, packed into an open top car and taken on a remix road trip. Feel the sunshine.

Any such compilation and Andrew Weatherall is almost certain to be found. Here he, Jagz Kooner and Gary Burns pop up twice as Sabres Of Paradise. First up is their masterful collaboration with One Dove on Transient Truth, seven minutes of sonic sweetness underpinning Dot Allison's voice. 

Secondly, all double bass funk and squelchy synths, is Red Snapper's classic Hot Flush from 1995. The music couldn't be more different from One Dove, yet Andrew, Jagz and Gary lend both an emotional heft that just can't be described in words. Well, not be me, anyway. This track originally featured on the EP of the same name, collected the same year on the Reeled And Skinned compilation which is an essential introduction to Red Snapper.

Either side of these tracks are a couple of groovy numbers. In reverse order, Fortran 5 are rinsed good and proper by Alex Paterson and Kris 'Thrash' Weston of The Orb. I loved the original album version but The Herbal Supper Mix is a feast of heavy bass, SFX and samples ("one spliff a day keeps the evil away") with Shola Phillips' sweet vocals weaving through. 

Fluke serve up Groovy Feeling, the 1993 single offering half a dozen remixes all named after ice cream varieties. The version here retains the vocal licks and bubbling beats that characterise the Fluke sound.

They pop up again later in the selection with a sublime remix of Beautiful Morning by Sensation, one of my favourites of theirs. The original song was a lovely indie-pop number but Fluke transform it into an energising, irresistible uptempo anthem that has me involuntarily shouting "yeah!" along with singer Johnny Male pretty much every time. Which can be embarrassing if I'm wearing headphones in a public space.

Also feeling the groove are Finitribe, who were so impressed with Justin Robertson's remix of their single Ace Love Deuce that it was the definitive version used on 1992 album An Unexpected Groovy Treat. The additional treat is that the album version is a minute or so longer than the one found on the 12" and CD single. If you're a fan of Justin Robertson's work from the early 1990s, you will not be disappointed.

Underworld come in towards the end of this mix and in such style. I can't remember which came first but their remixes of Water From A Vine Leaf (included here) and Human Behaviour by Björk just blew me away when I first heard them. Twelve minutes of beautifully structured electronic music that was built for the dancefloor yet for me has always worked as songs in their own right, away from the club environment. In both cases, the addition of a unique female vocal is that little push over the edge. In this case, it's Beth Orton (though I think I can hear Karl Hyde in there somewhere too, deep in the mix) joining William Orbit on an epic journey.

Sticking with William Orbit and taking a slight step back into the last year of the 1980s with a mix that pointed to the future. Balearic beats before I had a clue what that even was. Les Negresses Vertes were a Parisian band that I'd seen pop up on TV (the last gasps of The Tube, I guess) but I didn't know much about. I got this remix of 1989 single Zobi La Mouche on a secondhand copy of Beat This! a compilation of dance label Rhythm King originally given away as a cover-mounted CD with Sky Magazine in 1990. William Orbit is joined by fellow Torch Song collaborator Rico Conning, all acoustic strums and rousing calls that scream 'party!' I feel like I've glugged a bottle of red wine and jumped up on the table to dance just listening to it...

 

1) Transient Truth (Album Version By One Dove & Sabres Of Paradise): One Dove (1993)

2) Groovy Feeling (Nutty Chip Cornet): Fluke (1993)

3) Hot Flush (Sabres Of Paradise Remix): Red Snapper (1995)

4) Groove (The Herbal Supper Mix By The Orb): Fortran 5 ft. Shola Phillips (1991)

5) Ace Love Deuce (Justin Robertson Mix) (Album Version): Finitribe (1992)

6) Beautiful Morning (Fluke's Magimix): Sensation (1993)

7) Water From A Vine Leaf (Underwater Mix Part 1) (Remix By Underworld): William Orbit ft. Beth Orton (1993)

8) Zobi La Mouche (The Fly) (Club Mix By William Orbit & Rico Conning): Les Negresses Vertes (1989)

 

1989: Zobi La Mouche EP: 8

1991: Groove EP: 4

1992: An Unexpected Groovy Treat: 5 

1993: Beautiful Morning EP / Welcome To The Future²: 6

1993: Groovy Feeling EP: 2

1993: Morning Dove White: 1 

1993: Water From A Vine Leaf EP: 7

1995: Hot Flush EP / Reeled And Skinned: 3

How Are You Feeling? It's A Beautiful Morning! (57:27) (KF) (Mega)

More Devotional

Side 1 of a Depeche Mode cassette compilation, recorded circa September/October 1998.

 

I posted Side 2 in May this year and I still haven't got around to buying the current Depeche Mode album, Memento Mori, despite really liking the lead single, Ghosts Again. A testament to the amount of other great music that's been released this year but despite being the first gig I ever went to and my obsessive need to buy all of their singles through to, well, around the end of 1998 I was still never what you'd describe as a devotional fan.

I did like their singles and pick of remixers though and I think this mixtape is a pretty good example that when they were good, they were very good.

William Orbit's Random Carpet Mix of Walking In My Shoes pops up on compilations in a full length 8+ minute version, but I prefer the six-and-a-half minute edit that appeared on the original CD single. 

The KLF remix is a relative rarity. They didn't do that many in their time but they were always worth hunting down. As is Dan The Automator's trip hop take on standalone single Only When I Lose Myself, only pipped as my favourite mix of the song by Loo & Placido's mash-up with Dr. Dre from 2006 aka Still Losing Myself.

 

Not quite a mash-up, but Art Maharg drops a cheeky Enya sample into his edit of Sea Of Sin. His and Joseph Watt's (mostly) bootleg Razormaid mixes were often as good as and occasional better than the commercial releases.

I've found the 21st Century remixes a very hit-and-miss affair to be honest, leaning towards the latter. In the right hands, though? Mode magic.

 

1) Walking In My Shoes (Random Carpet Mix By William Orbit) (Single Version) (1993)

2) Everything Counts (Remix By Tim Simenon & Mark Saunders) (1989)

3) It's No Good (Album Version By Tim Simenon) (1997)

4) Personal Jesus (Holier Than Thou Approach) (Remix By François Kevorkian) (1989)

5) Only When I Lose Myself (Dan The Automator Mix By Dan Nakamura) (1998)

6) Policy Of Truth (Trancentral Mix By The KLF aka Bill Drummond & Jimmy Cauty) (1990)

7) Sea Of Sin (Razormaid's Orinoco Flow Edit By Art Maharg) (1990)

8) Rush (Spiritual Guidance Mix By Jack Dangers) (1993)

Side One (46:07) (KF) (Mega)

Side Two, including revived links to previous Depeche Mode selections, can be found here

Un Autre Côté

Side 2 of a mixtape labelled "The Best Of Trance Europe Express" and compiled sometime in 1998.

Trance Europe Express was an off-shoot of the Volume book/magazine/CD series, with five 2CD volumes between 1993 and 1997, totalling 120 tracks, many of which were exclusive to the series.

 

As I said in my original post in June 2022, the mixtape is intentionally misleading, The quality throughout the five volumes remained of a such a high standard that calling this 13-track cassette a "best of" was a bit tongue-in-cheek. It's a good primer though, especially as you can track them down for a few quid these days. The book and the slipcase may be a bit battered but the quality of the music within will be intact.

 

Alaska was initially a duo of Laurent Garnier and Nic Britton, later music solely credited to Garnier and released on his own F Communications label. Unreleased Project 1 appeared on Alaska's Deuxième EP around the same time as Trance Europe Express 4. The EP version is eleven and a half minutes long, a couple shaved off for this exclusive TEE edit.

Pluto was another non de plume, this time for Rolo McGinty, better known for his work with The Woodentops. On this 1994 track, Rolo is joined by Leslie 'Bullet' Lawrence and Steve 'Dub' Jones. Rockefeller appeared (misspelt as Rockerfeller) the following year on Pluto's debut album, Rising.

Barbarik by William Orbit is another TEE-exclusive but containing all of the bleeps, tinkles, beats and spoken word sections that he'd made his stock in trade from Water On A Vine Leaf through to megastardom, producing Ray Of Light with Madonna. I love it.

Outcast (not OutKast) were Beaumont Hannant and Richard Brown. The former came to my attention via his superb remixes for Ned's Atomic Dustbin and his solo Tastes And Textures EPs. Whereas that music's closest and laziest comparison was trip-hop, Peach Taxi featured here is a much more housey affair.

Speaking of which, Glasgow legends Slam bring the house down with the mighty Soul Power. It's a testament to how much good music they were producing in the 1990s that this track would be a standalone TEE exclusive when other artists would have placed this firmly on a 12" A-side or album. The flow of new music has not slowed in recent years with Orde Meikle and Stuart McMillan still producing the goods, as June's Activate EP ably demonstrated.

Jörn Elling Wuttke and Roman Flügel formed Alter Ego in 1992, continuing with some success until a final album in 2007, with a posthumous remix album the following year and the release of a lost album in 2012. Sex And Gender is an exclusive track from their early(ish) period and a bridge between their first two albums.

Closing the compilation and bringing things full circle to the first volume of Trance Europe Express is the fittingly-named Trance Induction aka Tjeerd Verbeek. According to t'internet, these days Tjeerd is a biohacker and professional tai chi teacher, which seems a far cry from the urgent, pulsating N which seems purpose-built for a substance-enhanced club experience. 

 

Not your typical Sunday morning fare, but maybe this will transform your weekend chores and get the neighbours worked up. You know it makes sense!

1) Unreleased Project 1 (Trance Europe Express Edit By Laurent Garnier): Alaska (1995)

2) Rockefeller (Album Version): Pluto (1994)

3) Barbarik: William Orbit (1995)

4) Peach Taxi: Outcast (1997)

5) Soul Power: Slam (1997)

6) Sex And Gender: Alter Ego (1995)

7) N (Trance Europe Express Edit By Tjeerd Verbeek): Trance Induction (1993)

 

1993: Trance Europe Express: 7

1994: Trance Europe Express²: 2

1995: Trance Europe Express 3: 3, 6

1995: Trance Europe Express 4: 1

1997: Trance Europe Express 5: 4, 5

Side Two (45:47) (KF) (Mega)

Side One here

Dripping Onto My Tongue

Side 1 of a mixtape compiled 11th January 2003. Back to the old school - well, early 1990s at least - for today's selection of end-of-week bangers.

Bolting from the gate is Apollo 440 with Liquid Cool, which came with a plethora of mixes, including The Future Sound Of London and Jah Wobble and several from French duo Deep Forest. I wasn't a huge fan of the latter's music at the time but they turned out some pretty satisfying if safe remixes of this standout from the Millennium Fever album.

Dutch DJ/producer Patrick Prins was the brains behind Subliminal Cuts, originally releasing Le Voie Le Soleil in 1994. It was re-released in 1996 with further remixes, including this one by obvious fans of The Simpsons, Itchy & Scratchy. A duo of Seb Fontaine and Julian Peake, the latter had further chart success as Jules Vern, one half of Stretch & Vern.

 

Volcano were a trio of Norwegian DJs/producers, Ole Mjøs, Bjørn Torske and Rune Lindbæk, who teamed up with Sam Cartwright for a few singles on the Deconstruction label. Only Bjørn Torske and Rune Lindbæk are familiar to me from their later output. If you're into re-edits of 1980s classics, Rune Lindbæk offered up a 50-track smorgasbord including Thomas Dolby, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Amanda Lear and Toto. The whole collection is available as a name your price download from Bandcamp. 

 

Edinburgh meets Glasgow on the next track, Botany 5 representing the former, the legendary Slam the latter. Love Bomb is a match made in heaven, well, Scotland but what's the difference really? Botany 5 sadly didn't get beyond a debut album and handful of singles but it would be an understatement to say that Slam have done pretty well since then. 

 

Speaking of which, William Orbit was already well on the way to global domination when Water From A Vine Leaf was released in 1993. Featuring Beth Orton on vocals (although not noticeable here) and a stunning remix from Underworld (one of two), both of whom had even greater things ahead of them. This remix comes in at just under 12 minutes and really, just isn't long enough.

 

Keeping it short and sweet for the closer then is 808 State, with a scuzzy mix of Open Your Mind, a double A-side with Lift which just about cracked the UK Top 40 (#38) in August 1991, continuing their on/off relationship with singles-buying public. I bought this on CD single for pennies a couple of years later from a music stall in the Eagle Shopping Centre in Derby. Great times...!

 

1) Liquid Cool (Deep Forest Trans-Afrique Life Extension Express) (Remix By Eric Mouquet & Michel Sanchez): Apollo 440 (1994)

2) Le Voie Le Soleil (Itchy & Scratchy Mix By Julian Peake & Seb Fontaine): Subliminal Cuts (1996)

3) More To Love (K-Klass Pharmacy Dub): Volcano (1994)

4) Love Bomb (The Slam Production) (Remix By Stuart McMillan & Orde Meikle): Botany 5 (1990)

5) Water From A Vine Leaf (Underwater Mix Part 2 By Underworld): William Orbit ft. Beth Orton (1993)

6) Open Your Mind (Sound Garden Mix): 808 State (1991)

Side One (46:11) (KF) (Mega)

The One You Won't Regret

Today's selection started out with the intention of being a relaxed, laidback affair, triggered by a week revisiting Baby Ford's brilliant 1992 album Bford 9. I think somewhere along the line it morphed into a late night/headphones kind of vibe...

The nine tracks are all drawn from albums I've been listening to this week, several purchased last year, some having been in my possession for many years and one picked up one of two compulsory Sahel Sounds purchases last Bandcamp Friday. An eclectic bunch, it has to be said, but I think they make good partners.

I'll revisit Bford 9 again in the future but suffice to say my previous preconceptions about Baby Ford were completely upended by this album. I bought it on spec for £7.99 from a record shop in Yate (#45 in 2003's Top 50 Crap Towns) a couple of years after it's release and it's remained one of my favourite electronica/dance albums. There's a vocal version of 20, Park Drive; I've opted for the instrumental version to open this selection, to set the (languid) pace.

Happy Ending by Hifi Sean and David McAlmont was officially released in February this year. To say I love it is an understatement. In fact, I love it so much that when I got the double vinyl last December as a Last Night From Glasgow subscriber, I made it my 2022 album of the year. Transatlantic is a beautiful, downtempo moment, sweeping strings and shiver-inducing vocals.

Electribe 101's contribution dates from 1992 though didn't see an official release for three decades due to the record label dropping them midway through recording their second album. I wrote about it last January in anticipation of the album's long awaited release (thanks to Billie Ray Martin) and it didn't disappoint. Conquering Tomorrow is a bonus track on the CD, a brief instrumental that segues neatly into the next song on this selection.

My sideways step into the world of New York indie pop trio Au Revoir Simone came via their appearance on Paris by Friendly Fires. I picked up a few freebie sample songs via the now-defunct RCRD LBL website and then bought 2009 album Still Night, Still Light, followed by 2010 remix companion Night Light. The version of Take Me As I Am featured here is from the latter, London-based DJ Max Cooper delivering a shimmering version with hushed vocals coming in quite late.

 

Telefís was an inspired meeting of minds between Cathal Coughlan and Garret 'Jacknife' Lee. Debut album a hAon was released in 2022 and whilst the equally excellent follow up a Dó came in October the same year, it sadly proved to be a posthumous release, due to Cathal's untimely passing in May. Picadors is taken from a hAon and an example of a duo at the top of their game, lyrically and sonically. A tragic loss.

I featured a System 7 selection at the end of April and they've continued to be on my playlist since. The Abyss is the penultimate track on 2001 album Seventh Wave, seven and a half minutes of ambient waves which Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy do so well.

 

From there and another of my favourite albums of 2022, And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood. Another spine-tinglingly beautiful vocal, this isn't really ambient at all, more 1970s West Coast vibe yet it was an obvious next step from the System 7 song. The build towards the end is just wonderful.

 

Whilst I have a few Wau Wau Collectif songs from previous Sahel Sounds compilations, Friday saw my first purchase of a full length album by them, their second as it transpires. The Senegalese musicians collaborate again with Sweden’s Karl Jonas Winqvist, a name I only recognise from his work with James Yorkston & The Secondhand Orchestra. Again, Mariage Forcé is not a song that would be described as 'chill out' but I was struck by the tone of the two-second intro nearly matching that of the closing seconds of the Weyes Blood song, which made for a serendipitous pairing.

On more familiar territory for the closer, with William Orbit. Strange Cargo was the title of his second album in 1987, with volumes II and III following in the 1990s. The next volume in 1995 was confusingly credited to Strange Cargo and titled Hinterland. Business as usual belatedly resumed (and reverted to a William Orbit release) in 2014 with Strange Cargo 5. Kiss Of The Bee appears on the standalone Strange Cargo release in 1995, featuring Beth Orton and Christine Leach. Beth was about to release her second solo album, to great acclaim, whilst Christine fronted Baby Fox, who were unfairly lumped in with the mid-90s trip hop set.

 

1) 20, Park Drive (Inst): Baby Ford (1992)

2) Transatlantic: Hifi Sean & David McAlmont (2022)

3) Conquering Tomorrow: Electribe 101 (1992)

4) Take Me As I Am (Max Cooper Remix): Au Revoir Simone (2010)

5) Picadors (Album Version): Telefís (2022)

6) The Abyss: System 7 (2001)

7) God Turn Me Into A Flower: Weyes Blood (2022)

8) Mariage Forcé: Wau Wau Collectif (2022)

9) Kiss Of The Bee: Strange Cargo ft. Beth Orton & Christine Leach (1995) 

 

1992: Bford 9: 1

1995: Hinterland: 9

2001: Seventh Wave: 6

2010: Night Light: 4

2022: a hAon: 5 

2022: And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow: 7

2022: Electribal Soul: 3

2022: Happy Ending: 2 

2022: Mariage: 8

 

The One You Won't Regret (47:34) (Box) (Mega)