Funk F·XRII
Benz Micro LP-S
Linn Klimax DS (Renew)
TEAD Mastergroove Mk 2
TEAD Vibe Phoenix / Pulse 2
Luxman P-1u
Sennheiser HD800
I’ve been through all the 12” records, checking them against the database I keep of The Collection (yeah, yeah, I know), and picking out things that I don’t know, or assume I don’t want. They’re all getting a play, with the singles recorded here for something to do. Because you’ve got to do something. Here are some more.
I think Steven J Gould said that after a lifetime studying fish, he’d realised there was no such thing. Fish are too diverse to be covered by a single name. I think the same goes for electronic music. Mel and Kim’s stuff was all synthesizers, and so is Richard Devine.
Rod Freeman and The Blue Men sing while Joe Meek mucks about with the tape speed; Throbbing Gristle pervert I Feel Love; Christian Zanési layers a load of creepy alien noise; Avrovane puts all the parts in different time signatures; Stereolab don’t have a lot of electronics at all. It’s all good.
The album proper is an even broader sampling of the world of electronics, but I must warn you, it does contain New Order.
Obviously I’m not thinking of getting rid of this, I just wanted to hear it. Sonic Youth always do good covers, whether it’s John Cage or Plastic Bertrand, and you’re not going to go far wrong with Touch Me I’m Sick are you? It’s not as good as the original, but not much is.
Touch Me I’m Sick aside, I’ve always liked the idea of Mudhoney more than the end product. Honestly, I usually find them a bit boring. This is a bit boring. I’m not a massive fan of pre-Sister Sonic Youth either. This record’s nowhere near as good as I thought it was. But I’ll keep it.
Demon Seed is a film where Julie Christie gets pregnant off of a robot, and I think it was also the inspiration for the mighty mighty Metal Fingers in My Body. This is all languid and French until two drummers get going and Barry Seven goes mental with an MS10. Brilliant. But it’s Add (N) to X, so what else is it likely to be?
I’ve got loads of Fridge records, and I don’t know why. I’d sell them, but they’re worth nowt, and the price of cardboard mailers is through the roof. Then again, this is pretty good, so maybe I should keep them and play them. Yeah, I’ll clean them and leave them in the “need playing” place. Stay tuned, Fridge fans.
Four remixes of a Helen Love song, which I expected to be a test of endurance, but enjoyed. Much like Helen herself, the Cuban Boys have both made such a little go a very long way, turning an admittedly classic cut into three pretty good new songs and one longer version of the original. Bravo.