Category Archives: Featured

Nico Striptease

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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.


the-night-porter

Ryan Moore’s Twilight Circus Sound System

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ryan-moore-twilight-sound-system

I was introduced to Ryan Moore and Twilight Circus Dub Sound System by way of the Legendary Pink Dots. Ryan Moore toured with LPD as a bassist and opening act back in the mid 90s. He would open LPD shows as Twilight Circus, playing a heavy dub act for about half an hour, 45 minutes before the Dots took the stage. With all due respect to the Dots, I thought Moore should have had his own headliner act with a more fleshed out band, but he did very well with the backing tapes, creating a great dub atmosphere with little or no help.

Moore’s site Twilight Sound System lives on today with too many dub releases to name. Check out the free MP3 downloads page and marvel at the excellent heavy grooves on offer. Moore is a dub powerhouse and a genuinely nice guy…I’d drop my plans to see any show of his. Been digging on dub for many years now and it has to be said, Moore not only carries the tradition, he’s brought elements of the old and new together with great skill. Have a listen, dubheads…if you don’t know Twilight Sound System, you’re in for a treat.

Crosley CR49 Traveler Portable Turntable

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crosley-cr49-traveler-portable-turntable

I knew about Crosley turntables, but I never spotted anyone using them until I paid a visit to my friends in Hyperbubble. There, perched on the bathroom counter next to a pile of great old vinyl was a Crosley, clearly intended to be used for bathtub chillout time after a long day of recording and producing new music. 

Not this particular Crosley, mind you, but this Crosley CR49 Traveler is perfect for bath time anywhere you care to roam; hotels, guest houses, crashing at a fellow DJ’s house…anywhere you might want to bring the vinyl equivalent of a boom box. Aspiring rappers and sound system-ers, here’s a concept for you—take your turntabling on the busking circuit! This is uber-portable and only requires a power supply. The built-in speakers make this the ultimate retro accessory. Buy two of em and do the world’s most lo-tech portable DJ set. What’s that, you say? Crazy? Not if you’re playing small intimate spaces like a tiny art gallery or somebody’s front room. Hell, I’m tempted!

Qui etes-vous, Polly Maggoo?

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polly-magoo-poster

William Klein did three memorable films collected in a great boxed set as part of the Criterion Eclipse series. The best film of the three is also one of the great moments of the 60s. Qui etes-vous, Polly Maggoo? follows a fashion model through her unreal existence. Long before reality television was even a glimmer in some network hotshot’s tiny little stunted brain, this movie anticipated it beautifully–but with 1000 times more thought and a delicious presentation that kicks the pants off the artless, painfully trite reality shows broadcast today. No, this isn’t a true story, but it’s presented in reality show fashion.

The clip below is a small taste of the film…if you fall instantly in love with this the way I did, you can still buy the boxed set and revel in all the William Klein you can stand. Glorious retro fun from the era when all there was to listen to was the radio and vinyl records.