Zombie Disco!

FINALLY, the long-awaited update on the Turntabling front…it has been far too long I know, but the madness round here has been both profitable and amusing. On that note, I’ll be DJing the Chicago Horror Society’s one-year anniversary party and Zombie Disco on June 20th at Chicago’s famous Viaduct Theater. Stay tuned for more details.

Yes, it’s been a little while since the last update–things have gone crazy in the Turntabling camp! Rest assured, the updates begin in earnest now that the smoke has cleared. Here are some of the developments I’ve been working on since the last update here–lots of DJ gigs lining up, some photo shoots forthcoming, and plenty of freelance blogging and editing. It’s been a busy few weeks. Fortunately there’s been plenty of interest in Turntabling.net, and we are pleased to report the Russ Meyer bio is almost sold out. THANK YOU to everyone who purchased copies. Your support of Turntabling is greatly appreciated.

I’ll be adding some exciting new things for sale soon. Stay tuned.

Nico Striptease

My new favorite music blog is BlowupDoll, which recently featured a Nico/Serge Gainsbourg single called Striptease. I hate to link directly to the file, but there’s no blog post addy to link to on this one, just the main URL. Needless to say, any fan of these sounds should take a long look at BlowupDoll. Bravo.

As for the track itself, why does Nico’s chanteuse stuff all sound like the Velvet Underground on quaaludes? For the full duration of this single, I keep waiting for John Cale to start grinding away on the viola. This is a great-sounding single, but hearing Nico’s voice on this track puts that image from The Night Porter in my head. Don’t ask me why, I can’t explain. Swap out that hat, though, sweetie. Got anything in LA Motorcycle Cop circa 1981? Now THAT would be sexy.

Obama Vinyl? Not Quite

Just for laughs, I googled “Obama Viny Record” to see what would come up. Lo and behold, this goofy bit of President Obama kitsch, just in time for Inauguration Day. It’s sold at Zazzle.com and comes in a variety of styles from slacker grey long sleeves to fitted.

The reason this image is lumpy is because I used the “muscle tee” style image from the Zazzle site. I have seen plenty of other “album” style shirts before, but this has got to be the one with the most cheese. Kitsch is fun, so I can’t bash this TOO much, especially in light of the OTHER shirts I found while surfing around for Obama vinyl. Like the “Jews Against Obama” shirt. According to Gothamist.com this shirt costs a staggering $250 and was designed by a guy who doesn’t like Obama for a variety of personal and political reasons, including that Obama’s middle name is Hussein. I am sure you can draw your own conclusions here. In crayon, if need be.

You can see a picture of this guy on the Gothamist post. In this photograph he appears to be the kind of person you find at record conventions who refuses to listen to The Damned because they were “too commercial” compared to the Sex Pistols. You know the type–the kind of dude who gets three beers in him and starts yammering away about how nobody understands his “genius”.

Yeah….riiiighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhht.

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.

Federico Aubele La Esquina/Corazon 12-Inch

Another ESL 12-inch hits our mailbox, but this one is probably the most unremarkable of the lot to date. Federico Aubele’s songwriting and presentation are top notch, but it’s a little bit too much in the background music department for my taste. Plusses: It’s very latin, and on both sides the acoustic guitar playing is tops, and those vocals are gorgeous…but best reserved for a post-club chillout mix or a pre-show warmup. Minuses: the remixes try very hard to spice this 12-inch up, but even Ursula 1000’s spirited dancehall take on Corazon can’t pull this out of the middle of the road.

Thunderball: Elevated States/Get Up With The Down 12-Inch

Thunderball’s 12-inch single featuring the Nicola Conte remix of Elevated States features a massive sax jazz group that wouldn’t feel out of place on an extended megamix of the Blow Up soundtrack, Coltrane, mix-n-match Blue Note artists and the occasional John Zorn freakout tossed in just to make sure you’re paying attention. Elevated States is top notch. Smooth as polished mahogany.

This 12-inch shifts into 3rd gear on the B-side with the Ursula 1000 remix of Get Up With The Get Down. This one’s squarely in Paisley Park territory with the synth squiggles, which isn’t a bad thing at all. In fact, the “get down” chanting is more reminiscent of Sheila E with every new listen. Don’t let that scare you, now, son.

I was braced for the instrumental mix to leave me high and dry, but those horns are pretty tasty. A nice party piece to play mashup with if you’re behind the decks…get a groove on with this vs. Chris Joss and see where it goes. I’ll be playing with that one myself. Thunderball’s got a winner here, don’t pass this by. Have a listen to all three tracks at ESL. Snag the 12-inch after it snags you.

Chris Joss: I Want Freedom 12-Inch Remixes

There are groups that are vastly improved by remixes, artists who are turned to complete slurry, and then there are the ones like Chris Joss who get their original works of deliciousness garnished with all sorts of new flavors and spices. The four track 12-inch remix vinyl for I Want Freedom is a worthy investment even in a crap economy. Do without that gallon of gas, buy this instead.

The I Want Freedom Myagi remix throws in a deep analog synth riff underneath making this a track you really ought to hear at “call the cops” volume in order to get the full benefit of the mix. Side A also features an extended mix of the original, but sounds fairly unmolested and sort of anti-climatic on the heels of the Myagi mix.

The B-side Smokey Bandits remix takes a while to find its legs, but once the extra vox and horns kick in, it’s smooth sailing on this Basement Freaks/Quasamodo version. The Atfunk remix kicks this track into funkier heights, I love this version. Myagi and Atfunk win the battle of the remixers, two badass reworkings of one of the standout tracks from Chris Joss’s latest, Teraphonic Overdubs. Hear all this stuff at the ESL site, click the links and you’ll get a nice sampling of all this and more. RECOMMENDED.

Thievery Corporation Supreme Illusion 12-Inch Single

I’ve been digging this Thievery Corporation track since hearing it on the ESL Remixed CD. That’s a disc I strongly recommend, but for the vinyl 12-inch single junkie, here’s a must-own. Thievery Corporation’s Supreme Illusion is remixed by Nickodemus in a great Near-East vibe that mercifully sidesteps all the groan-inducing cliches lesser remixers resort to when trying to impart some of those “mystic East” touches.

This is some flawless, ultra-polished post-club listening. The ESL Remixed version was non-stop on the player for two solid months–quite a feat given all the music I consume on a daily basis. If these releases were cigarettes, I’d be dead by now.

Supreme Illusion is a great track and the B-side, Thievery Corporation’s remix of Crazy Stranger by Nickdemus is no slouch, either–but I prefer the A side, hands down. For those who don’t dig singles, pick up the ESL Remixed CD instead, there’s a glorious load of tasty sounds there.

Chris Joss: A Part In That Show 12-Inch Single

Chris Joss is a musical juggernaut. Based in France, the Chris Joss experience is a funky, uber-smooth retro callback to the disco dance floors and too-cool-for-school Shaft-style action soundtracks I grew up digging very much. The fact that Joss plays all his own instruments cinches the deal–he has too much talent to measure and if you are one of those people (like me) who can sit through an otherwise lukewarm 60s or 70s film because it has a killer soundtrack, this 12-inch is for you. A Part In That Show is from the You’ve Been Spiked album, a must-own. Go to the Chris Joss site to hear a very generous free sampling of everything he’s done to date. RECOMMENDED.

The Prima Donnas 7″

The Prima Donnas were new-new wave long before The Epoxies or any of that lot came along. In fact, I was lucky enough to scoop up this now-out-of-print 7-inch in 1998, ferchrissakes! The Prima Donnas were described gamely as “punk rock without guitars” but really, you don’t need such descriptions. It’s a two-song romp with “She Had Alien Written All Over Her” and “Break Your Fuckin’ Head” both scoring high marks for energy, enthusiasm and fun sing-along-harmonies in goofy brit accents.

 Originally released on Peek-a-Boo Records, this is now available as a download from emusic.com. I highly recommend searching for this single in any Texas record store, especially near Austin and San Antonio. The Prima Donnas later released both songs from the vinyl on the full-length Drugs, Sex & Discotheques, which is full of great moments including one hilarious chant at the end of Reagan’s Dead:

“Reagan died/but his clone survived/run and hide/mass suicide”

Buy this CD with extreme haste, especially if you have a love affair with cheap synth tones. I love this CD and am quite pleased to own the single. If memory serves, Peek-a-Boo was located in Austin, but the website now lists a California contact address. Regardless, I will always associate The Prima Donnas with Texas, as that’s where I got hooked on them—in that scortching, evil 100+ heat.