There's Always Help, If You Know Where To Look

Side 1 of a mixtape, recorded sometime in 1998. 

 

If it's Tuesday, it must be time for trance, with four epic slabs of sonic bliss. I posted side 2 back in February 2022, commenting that I'd discovered the track listing whilst sorting through a box of paperwork, the original C90 long since lost or given away. 

 

Starting things off is one of the best remixes that Underworld ever produced, Sound System by Drum Club stretched out over nearly 12 minutes with vocals from Wonder Schneider dropping in. 

Visions Of Shiva aka Cosmic Baby and Paul Van Dyk up next with a remix of L'Esperanza that ups the ante (and the tempo). The first Sven Väth record that I ever bought, fact fans.

The video for Liquid Cool by Apollo 440 was featured here in May, along with a YouTube posting of the 2CD single release with 9 - count 'em, 9 - mixes. Here's one of 'em, the 14-minute Space Colonization by Rhythm Of Space.

Finally, Suzuki K1 aka Keiichi Suzuki with Satellite Serenad, which I originally bought on CD without hearing a note, as it included a couple of remixes by The Orb which was reason enough to buy back in 1994. This version also came as a pair with - you guessed it - the Sunday Mix, both by Ryoji Oba and Simon Posford. All good, but I don't think I've heard any of Suzuki's music apart from this one song.

 

1) Sound System (Underworld Mix By Darren Emerson & Rick Smith): Drum Club ft. Wonder (1993)

2) L'Esperanza (Hope Will Move Mountains Mix By Visions Of Shiva aka Harald Blüchel & Paul Van Dyk): Sven Väth (1993)

3) Liquid Cool (Space Colonization Remix By Rhythm Of Space aka Steve Musham, Simon Lord & Jonathan Podmore): Apollo 440 (1994)

4) Satellite Serenade (Saturday Mix (With Japanese It's All Right Song) By Oba & Simon Posford): Suzuki K1 (1994)

 

Side Two (45:37) (KF) (Mega)

Side One here

Whatever Lurks In Your Mind

Side 1 of a mixtape, compiled October 1996 and featuring Secret Knowledge aka Kris Needs and Wonder Schneider.

 

I posted the previous side of this cassette compilation back in January, so it seems only right that the flip side appears as I again find myself in need of some bangers to blast away the cold, dark wintry days.

Side 1 starts as Side 2 ended, with One Dove and the wonderful vocals of Dot Allison. Why Don't You Take Me originally appeared on the soundtrack to the film Shopping, starring Sadie Frost, Jude Law and Sean Pertwee.

 

Dave Ball and Richard Norris aka The Grid get a thorough rinsing from Kris. It was only when researching this post that I realised to my surprise and delight that Diablo's Spanish vocals are provided by none other than Vanessa Contenay-Quiñones, who is long overdue a Dubhed selection of her own.

 

Nan Vernon used to perform with Dave Stewart & The Spiritual Cowboys and released one album and a clutch of singles on his Anxious label. Elvis Waits... was the last of these and features great remixes from Kris Needs and Steve B-Zet/Recycle Or Die. These days, Nan is better known for her film and TV soundtrack work, including Guardians Of The Galaxy, Bates Motel and Rob Zombie's Halloween.

Morgan Fisher first came to prominence in Mott The Hoople and has gone on to carve a varied and individual musical path. Humtone #4 was a one-off 12" single released on Cherry Red's dance spin-off label, MFF, in 1994 with a Kris Needs remix up front on the A-side.

 

Delta Lady was a side project for Kris and Wonder in 1993/94, releasing two singles on Leftfield's Hard Hands label, Swamp Fever and Anything You Want, the latter closing out this selection. Neil Barnes & Paul Daley join Kris on the mix for this belting remix, eleven and a half minutes of club dub to bring things to a satisfying conclusion.

 

I have had to tweak the tracklist for this recreation. The original cassette featured the six-minute Volume Vocal Mix of Anything You Want, which featured on the Volume Seven and Wasted: The Best Of Volume compilations in 1993 and 1995 respectively. 

 

The mixtape then finished off with Nuttin' Dub, a version of Too Much Of Nuttin' from Secret Knowledge's album, So Hard. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find my copy of The Serious Road Trip CD which features the dub and the album vocal version just wasn't a good fit.

 

So, I've removed the final track and included the Delta Dub Charge remix of Anything You Want. I didn't own this back in 1996 but if I had, I may well have gone for this version instead. 

 

I hope this goes some way to banishing the November blues and sets you up nicely for the weekend.

 

1) Why Don't You Take Me (Secret Knowledge Remix): One Dove (1993)

2) Diablo (Secret Knowledge Atomic Bidet Mix): The Grid ft. Vanessa Contenay-Quiñones (1995)

3) Elvis Waits... (Secret Knowledge Aaron Mix): Nan Vernon (1994)

4) Humtone #4 (Sea Diver Mix By Kris Needs): Morgan Fisher (1994)

5) Anything You Want (Delta Dub Charge) (Remix By Kris Needs & Leftfield): Delta Lady (1993)

Side One (45:30) (Box) (Mega)

Side Two here

What Are You Thinking Of?

Side 2 of a mixtape, compiled October 1996 and featuring Secret Knowledge aka Kris Needs and Wonder Schneider.

 

Kris Needs is a journalist and author who edited legendary music magazine ZigZag from 1977 to 1981, contributed to numerous other publications and has written several biographies and music history tomes, including 2021's Babble On An' Ting: Alex Paterson's Incredible Journey Beyond the Ultraworld With The Orb. Wonder is an American singer/songwriter, fittingly born on 4th July (Kris was born on 3rd July) and currently based in Cleveland, Ohio.

 

Secret Knowledge debuted with the 12" single Your Worst Nightmare/Make Me Scream, in 1992 before releasing a couple of 12"s on Andrew Weatherall & Nina Walsh's Sabres Of Paradise label, including the legendary Sugar Daddy. A move to Deconstruction saw the sole Secret Knowledge album, So Hard, in 1996. Needs was also a prolific remixer in the mid-late 1990s, transforming tracks by The Boo Radleys, Primal Scream, Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart, The Prodigy, The Grid, Alabama 3, Transglobal Underground and Hurricane #1, to name a very few.

 

This selection manages to squeeze a mere 5 tracks onto one side of a cassette, but they are personal favourites. Hug My Soul is underpinned by the inspired use of a sample from Reach Out I'll Be There by Four Tops and ends with someone blowing a raspberry. Breakdown was released as a standalone 12" featuring 'light' and 'dark' Secret Knowledge remixes, both excellent. The Nitzer Ebb and Love And Rockets remixes vastly improve on the originals. The Afterworld was originally submitted for inclusion on the Volume compilation, Trance Europe Express², and resulted in conflict when the wrong version was used. The press release accompanying the subsequent 12" release of Afterworld tells the story. It was only when reading the press release again that I realised The Afterworld 12" was issued on 4th July 1994, Wonder's birthday.

Kris and Wonder reconvened Secret Knowledge in 2019, in a collaborative single with Sendelica, with remixes by The Orb. Windmill was written as a tribute to Kris Needs' soul mate Helen Donlon, who passed in 2018. A digital version of the EP is still available on Bandcamp.

Kris also collaborated on a remix for The Orb's excellent Abolition Of The Royal Familia (Guillotine Mixes) album in 2021 and is currently writing a Silver Apples biography. Wonder continues to perform and collaborate on musical projects. There's a great interview with Kris from May 2021 on the Strange Brew website.

1) Kick It (The Secret Knowledge Velvet DM's Mix): Nitzer Ebb (1995)

2) This Heaven (Secret Knowledge Mix): Love And Rockets (1994)

3) Hug My Soul (Secret Knowledge Limbo Mix): Saint Etienne (1994)

4) The Afterworld (Backing Track For PAs): Secret Knowledge (1994)

5) Breakdown (Secret Knowledge Dark Mix): One Dove (1993)

 

Side Two (46:06)

Celebrate The Drum

I'll confess straight up that I remember very little about this night, other than I had a really, really good time. It was my second and last Megadog gig, with Drum Club and Finitribe headlining. My first was in Derby, around March 1994 and fronted by Transglobal Underground and Banco De Gaia. 

Drum Club were on fire at this point, having just dropped second album Drums Are Dangerous, following debut Everything Is Now and seminal single Sound System. Finitribe had released An Unexpected Groovy Treat in 1992 and I'm guessing will have been showcasing tracks from their follow-up Sheigra, which followed in 1995; I recall lead single Brand New getting an airing. 

 

Setlist has been unfortunately unable to fill in the blanks on this occasion, so I've instead opted for a handful of tracks from Drum Club and Finitribe, circa 1993-1994. I've intentionally left off the Underworld mix of Sound System for a future post and the Andrew Weatherall mixes of 101 as they've featured here previously. In between, you get a clutch of remixes that appeared on singles and electronica/dance compilations. Not your typical Sunday fare, but a good way to dispel the November gloom (on this island, at least).

1) Brand New (Tip-Top Tune): Finitribe (1994)

2) Sound System (Dub Me Crazy): Drum Club ft. Wonder (1993)

3) Drums Are Dangerous (Stand And Fight Mix): Drum Club ft. Maxine Harvey (1994)

4) Monster In The House (Monster Mutley Medley): Finitribe ft. Mutley & The Gang (1993)

5) De-Lushed (Stars Above The Campfire Mix): Drum Club (1994)

6) Follow The Sun (Remix): Drum Club ft. Kate Holmes & Wonder (1993)

7) 101.93: Finitribe (1993)

 

1993: Monster In The House EP: 4, 7

1993: Sound System EP: 2 

1993: Trance Europe Express: 6

1994: Brand New EP: 1 

1994: Survival 2000: 5

1994: Taking Liberties: 3

 

Celebrate The Drum (49:54)

Too Much Trouble And Not Enough Time!

Side 2 of a 1997 mixtape, rescued from the loft. Going South was the hit that should have been for The Wolfgang Press. The Sabres Of Paradise and The Grid had their biggest UK chart successes, with Wilmot crashing in at #36 and Swamp Thing achieving the dizzy heights of #3. Apollo 440 and Björk both made the Top 10, whilst the single version of Open Up by Leftfield / Lydon reached #13 in 1993. Together with Side 1, possibly the closest I got to a "Now That's What I Call Dance Music" hits compilation.

 

1) Wilmot (Full Length Version By The Sabres Of Paradise & Mr. Scruff): The Sabres Of Paradise ft. Wonder (1994) 

2) Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Dub (Joey The Butcher Remix): Apollo 440 (1997)

3) Hyperballad (Subtle Abuse Mix By Outcast aka Beaumont Hannant & Richard Brown): Björk (1996)

4) Open Up (Album Version): Leftfield / Lydon (1995)

5) Swamp Thing (Deep Piece Mix By Stuart Crichton & Michael Kilkie): The Grid (1994)

6) Going South (@440 Mix By Apollo 440): The Wolfgang Press (1994)

 

Side Two (46:02)