Adam and Joe’s Record Store Guide

I have no idea who Adam and Joe are, but they know their music shops…pretty damn funny, though there are sure to be a few “take me seriously” types reading this who will get offended because they have no sense of humor about their amusing record shop habits. My favorite part of this vid is all the bogus names for electronica genres. “Ambient Nutsack” and “Hardcore German Housewives”…PRICELESS.

Click on the image to view the clip--couldn’t embed it here as the creators don’t allow it, but well worth the time unless you’re one of those dour clubby types nursing a perpetual hangover and nic fit.

–Joe Wallace … Continue Reading

Turntabling Records Seeks 5 Bands for Compilation CD

Turntabling Records is looking for indie experimental/unclassifiable bands to submit tracks for consideration for the forthcoming CHEMICALLY ALTERED compilation CD. We need for five bands who play music in the same genre more or less as the Paisley Babylon tracks you can listen to on the Paisley Babylon MySpace page or at the Paisley Babylon ReverbNation page.

Bands who make the cut and wind up on the compilation get 25 physical copies of CHEMICALLY ALTERED to sell. Turntabling Records will mail 15 review copies to reviewers from each band’s mailing list–the band supplies the names and addresses from their PR mailing list and we do the rest. There is no cost to the bands for the pressing (Initial print run of 1000). though donations from rich bands are definitely welcome!

Turntabling makes the final call as to who is included in the comp but we aren’t seeking fame and fortune here–no chart-topping hits required–instead, we want to spread the word about unusual and interesting sounds.

Submit tracks by sending us a link to them in MP3 form to: jwallace242 (at) gmail (dot) com.

Your submission should be something that hasn’t appeared on other compilations and ideally not an album track–a B-side or custom recorded track would be much better. In the event you want to record something specifically for the CD, please send links to music representative of your work.

Dario Argento Blood Is Red LP Collection

Five original soundtrack albums from Dario Argento films on 180 gram vinyl with delicious gatefold sleeves. I scored one of these limited edition collections, called Blood Is Red, and I have to say the vinyl junkie in me is VERY pleased indeed. The films are Cat o’ Nine Tails, aka Il Gatto A Nove Code,  Four Flies on Grey Velvet aka Quattro Mosche Di Velluto Grigio, Profondo Rosso, Suspiria and Tenebre.

I have seen these selling for upwards of $175, so I was very happy to score mine for well under $70 and in tasty condition, too! Cat o ‘Nine Tails is a very underrated soundtrack, and it definitely gets lost in the shuffle compared with Tenebre and Suspiria. Any Goblin fan will swoon over this collection but the Morricone lover in me insists on giving the maestro his due as well.
… Continue Reading

Easy Tempo from ESL

Experienced lovers of Italian lounge, 60s and 70s Italian sountrack music and chillout sounds will appreciate the excellent track selection on this compilation from ESL. Newcomers, this collection of grooves is an OUTSTANDING primer. Have you heard the glorious sounds of Morricone and want to learn who else was creating lush, gorgeous textures in Italian cinema? Easy Tempo is the place to start.

There are plenty of legends on this disc, including Armando Trovajoli, Giancarlo Barigozzi, The Green Future, Piero Piccioni and the amazing Piero Umiliani. There is a great selection here, from loungey grooves to more suspenseful tracks from Italian thrillers. This disc is a good gateway drug to the hip, swinging world of Italian soundtracks, which are far cooler than most of their American counterparts in many cases.

It’s important to note that this CD is NOT part of the Italian-made Easy Tempo series distributed by Right Tempo, but it does contain a cross section of tracks licensed by ESL from that hard-to-find series.

Here’s the best bit–you can support Turntabling.net by purchasing a copy of this Easy Tempo disc from Turntabling. Use the PayPal button below to place your order and it will be sent out immediately. This is part of our very selective stock of media which will be made available for purchase over the coming weeks. It’s true–Turntabling is expanding its horizons, as I want to do more than talk about this great stuff–I want to bring it to you as well. It all starts with Easy Tempo…if you’re new to Italian soundtrack sounds and want to support Turntabling, click the Paypal button with my sincere thanks.

Buy Easy Tempo–$15 plus FREE SHIPPING.

The Wailing Ultimate: Homestead Records Compilation Album

Does anyone else even remember this one? In 1987, Homestead Records put out this hit-and-miss vinyl compilation, The Wailing Ultimate, featuring a pre-junior Dinosaur, Naked Raygun, and Big Black, plus a few future nobodies and the at-times-underrated Salem 66.

The Dinosaur track is the real reason to own this—”Repulsion” is a fabulous, moody cut that shows J. Mascis doing his thing years and years before anybody really took a shine to him in the mainstream media. Hear him showing off the same whine-n-crunch power long before he picked up a golf club on MTV. This one’s a tough find in some areas, but you can always pick it up used online via Amazon.com from a few nice reputable vendors including the venerable Newbury Comics.

Polyvinyl Record Co.

Pampelmoose.com does it again. Thanks to that fine blog, I discovered a great indie vinyl label practically in my own back yard. Polyvinyl Record Co. offers CDs, downloads, but more importantly those delicious 180 gram vinyl platters for most of their releases. This Champaign, Illinois-based label is home to 31Knots, ofMontreal, and Rainer Maria, who I first got acquainted with when I was editing material from SxSW for Gearwire.com back in 06.

Currently, I’m a bit obsessed with the ofMontreal track Id Engager which you can hear as an MP3 at Pampelmoose or pre-order on colored vinyl or download from Polyvinyl. Id Engager is a unique modern disco indie track.

I like ofMontreal’s take on the old mirrorball sounds from the late 70s; this collision of ideas sounds like Studio 54 and Andy Warhol thrown into a blender with the modern indie kids mentality with a dash of ginseng and gaurana. Energetic without being abrasively annoying…this is fun whiteboy disco with great bass playing. Did I mention there’s a little bit of Sparks falsetto going on here? When it’s well done (as it is on Id Engager) it’s pretty great. RECOMMENDED.

Bippp: Obscure French New Wave

Born Bad Records released BIPPP in 2006. This is an enjoyable collection of French “synth wave” recorded between 1979 and 1985. The quality of these tracks is fairly consistent across the board both in the songwriting and recordings themselves. For a longtime fan of obscure new wave, this is a real treasure trove. You can practically taste the quaaludes.

“Ping Pong” by Act and “Touche pas mon Sexe” by Comix are standout tracks. Both are described in other circles as “Devo-esque”, which seems to be the favorite term used by reviewers who lack the imagination to describe these bouncy synth masterpieces any other way. Personally, I’d just say that they make you want to snort cocaine and bounce your cranium around like you had a bobble-head. The short version–if you like music that goes “boingy-boingy-dingy-dingy-blip-blop-bleep,” this is for you.

It certainly works for ME. Especially when they aren’t singing in English. I think that’s the best part of all…I prefer NOT to know what they are on about. It’s just more fun that way. Visit the BIPPP Myspace page to hear some tracks from this one. It’s distributed in the USA by Everloving Records, for which I thank them profusely.