Mono Stereo 45 RPM Single On and On/Matter of Confusion

singles, , , , ,

Mono Stereo 45 On and On Matter of ConfusionI hear some people of a certain age group (hint–I went to college with some of them in the 90s) moaning about how music today isn’t as good (read post-punk enough or new wavey enough or whatever) as it used to be. To which I reply in two parts. Part One: You’ve become your parents, and Part Two, that’s just complete nonsense when faced with delicious vinyl releases like this 45 from Mono Stereo.

This Swedish four piece has its feel planted firmly in the psychedelia/shoegaze mushroom garden, evoking both a retro 60s vibe (with a nice little nod to Ennio Morricone in the middle eight of A Matter of Confusion, intentional or not) AND a bit of the old Ride/MBV thrown in for good measure.

It’s tough to review a modern ‘gazer band without invoking those previous two names, but the comparison is favorable, and I actually find the B side to be the stronger of the two cuts, though I have to admire the production work of the A-side On And On…sounds to these musician/DJ ears like a quite effective sitar simulation was achieved by pairing a banjo and guitar riff togetether…or maybe that IS a sitar and I’m just going deaf. Either way, it’s an effective intro to the track.

Mono Stereo has created a nice thick wall of sound swirling in just the right way. Kudos to them for not only a great release, but also for putting it out on vinyl as the gods intended.

Get your Mono Stereo on with the Vimeo vid below and tell me you don’t want to hear more…I did. Hook up with Mono Stereo on Facebook and be sure to tell ’em Turntabling sent you.

And that reminds me…I am all too happy to review vinyl releases. Get in touch about yours via jwallace (at) turntabling (dot net).
Joe Wallace


Mono Stereo – On and On from Adam Bruneau on Vimeo.

DJ Paisley Babylon Mix: After The Punks Have Gone

DJ mix, , , , , , , ,

AFTER-THE-PUNKS-HAVE-GONE

Another DJ Paisley Babylon mix in a retro vein–this time it’s post-punk, new romantic, early industrial, even some Cramps thrown in for good measure. As varied and all-over-the-map the bands are, the sounds all work very well together. Who needs genres when you’ve got groove? Have a listen to AFTER THE PUNKS HAVE GONE–the DJ Paisley Babylon post-punk and beyond mix. It’s a solid hour of solid tunes by Polyrock, Fad Gadget, Blondie, PiL, Gang of Four, Adam and the Ants, plus many others.

If you like the mix and want to book DJ Paisley Babylon, by all means get in touch. Contact me by e-mail: jwallace (at) turntabling (dot) net or call (312) 504-1264.

This mix is posted here to promote my DJ work and the original artists. Please get in touch if you need to discuss licensing issues.

WTF Album Covers: Fleetwood Mac Mystery To Me

WTF?, , , ,

Fleetwood Mac Bad Album Covers

The real mystery behind this bad album cover is why anyone thought it would be a good idea to market the music on the album using THIS IMAGE. Since a plenty of Fleetwood Mac albums in the catalog featured members of the band on the cover, one can only assume that aesthetic is also represented here somehow. But which band member is depicted here?

Could it be a snide jab at Stevie Nicks? Or maybe that this gorilla looks a little tiny bit like Mick Fleetwood isn’t a coincidence. Regardless, file this one under “What were they thinking?” or maybe even, “We have an artist friend.” Friends don’t let friends design album covers for friend bands.

DJ Paisley Babylon Exotic Jet Set Mix

DJ mix, , , ,

Exotic Music DJ Paisley Babylonby Joe Wallace

DJing isn’t a new thing for me–I’ve been behind the decks in one form or another since the late 80s. I’ve spun events, radio and parties in Japan, Korea and Iceland, up and down the midwest, you name it. But these tracks are atypical for DJing–it takes a special type of party or event coordinator to come after these sounds, at least today–once upon a time they were all the rage if the party scenes of 60s and 70s cinema are to be believed…

This DJ mix, The Exotic World of DJ Paisley Babylon, isn’t exotica per se–it’s more complicated than that. This is about a specific type of vibe you might associate with those great party scenes from Italian exploitation movies of the 60s and 70s, or the mental picture you get when thinking about Andy Warhol’s parties at the Silver Factory if you forget about the Velvet Underground and Bob Dylan for a few minutes. This is, for lack of a better phrase for a collection of tracks crossing several genres while staying within a certain groove, Mid-Century Modern music.

I’m available for hire once again to spin these sounds and many others–I’ve got a few other mixes coming to show the range of styles I’m into (see the DJ mix category for more sounds). If you’re intrigued after hearing this and want to get in touch for a booking, please feel free to drop me a line or call:

(312) 504-1264 jwallace (at) turntabling dot net

I travel for gigs, so if you’re based outside Chicago, no problem. In the meantime, have a listen to The Exotic World of DJ Paisley Babylon and get ready to be transported…