Green Man

I spent the weekend at The Green Man Festival, which was nestled in the Brecon Beacons. It was utterly lovely. Never thought I'd describe a festival as such, what with Reading being my usual haunt.

Lovely atmosphere, lovely food (all hail pieminister) and some lovely music. Highlights included Four Tet (pic above), 9Bach and Pagan Wanderer Lu (the less said about Animal Collective the better).

The stand out act of the weekend however was a 17-year-old Scot with a laptop, a lion hat and buckets of enthusiasm. Playing the tiny Green Man Pub Stage on Saturday afternoon, Unicorn Kid tore Green Man a new one.

The bearded folkies may have been left scratching their heads at the gameboy-dropped-in-a-bath chiptune beats but the kids got their rave on. Probably should have had a CRB check before I did too.

Catch him at Swn in October.

mp3---> Unicorn Kid - Goodbye (via box.net)

Cultural Tourism 2.0 - Benin

I have posted previously regards my feelings towards the rash of African rarities compilations around at the mo, so I shan't retread that thread.

This track is from Benin. I did a case study about this west African country in Year 5 at GJS. All I can recall about Benin is that it is shaped a bit like a peen and has never produced a footballer of note. I am aware of a player at Plymouth Argyle.

The point stands.

This tune is an organ/harpsicord driven, gamboling bass spattered, breakbeat driven funk monster.

mp3 ---> El Rogo et Sus Commandos - Feeling You Got (via box.net)

Min.

Philip Glass was one of the pioneers of minimalism in classical music, alongside Terry Riley, John Cage and Steve Reich. Taking their cue from Debussy and stripping it back even further, completely so in Cage’s piece 4'33", they embodied the less is more aesthetic of modern art and architecture.

You can see the influence Glass and his peers had on what would follow in music, electronic music in particular. The clean lines of Kraftwerk, the ambience soundscapes of Brian Eno, the gently evolving, enveloping rhythms of Basic Channel, the spacey techno of Lindstrom and aspects of Aphex Twin’s work, principally the non-schizoid tracks on Drukqs.

In the piece I’ve chosen, the simple melodies dance a macabre dance, swarming around the listener, a cloak of exquisite melancholy, allowing time and space for reflection, relaxation and renewal. Or you might think it's boring and miserable.

mp3---> Philip Glass – Metamorphis 5 (via box.net)

GWTF:3.0 - Daft Punk & Tron

(Tron + Daft Punk) - 2010 = December 23rd 1992 x Ball Ache

Rumours are that Daft Punk will tour the soundtrack... with Tron Legacy visuals.

The trailer is doing the rounds as is this excerpt, of a remix, of the theme tune, although it sounds the same as the track used in this video of nerd nirvana.

ARGH when is 2010?

mp3---> Daft Punk - Tron Legacy Theme (Cruda Luv Rework) (via box.net)

Found Tape - Gypsy Curses and Synth Pop

I was on my way to Heath Low Level the other day when I noticed this tape lying in the gutter. It looked in pretty good nick, no rain for a while, so it went in the pocket. I didn't play it for a couple of days, feared some Ring shit might go down.

Eventually I popped it in the walkman. 90 minutes later (well 93-94, does anyone know why they always pop a few extra minutes of tape in?) I was still alive.

The tape was majestic.

Filled with jump edits, the Pet Shop Boys, snatches of foreign DJ patter, George Michael, a poorly recorded conversation between a young girl and a man in a Balkan language (hoping it's not a gypsy curse or evidence of war crime), Tina Turner, swathes of radio static and towards the end, this absolute gem.

mp3 ---> Alphaville - Forever Young (via box.net)

(If anyone wants a copy of the tape give us shout below).

8 Songs Put Together By Someone Else Which Sums Up Italo-Disco Pretty Much

More sterling work from FACT Magazine, which chucks up killer mixes week after week. Number 72 in their series is from the Horsemeat Disco crew and is oh-so-fashionably Italo-Disco. You got about two weeks to get your download on.

Says Hello, Wavves Goodbye

Things move quickly in the twin towns of Hipsterville and Blogsburg. From being the darling, the future, the cutting edge to the gleeful reporting of an onstage breakdown and a general pooh-poohing of his work, Wavves has been gobbled up and spat out faster than Black Kids.

Except Wavves has turned the tables.

Realising that no matter how good your 2 minute lo-fi, fuzzed up, garage rock tracks are, you're always gonna run out of scope to make music that sounds fresh, that doesn't retread old ground.

Whether this is a genuine new direction or a riposte to blogs that only praise bands in the Animal Collective - TV On The Radio axis by creating a track that is a pastiche of that kind of music remains to be known.

What we do know is that Wavves has just released one of his best tracks.

mp3 ---> Wavves - Mickey Mouse (via box.net)

Nightwaves & Orange Juice

I went camping down the Gower recently. One night I decided it would be a good idea to go down the beach half cut and listen to some Animal Collective, like the pretentious cock I am.

I didn't last one track before a rainstorm of biblical proportions started.

As I ran through the dunes, torch in one hand, fag in the other, this was my soundtrack.

mp3 ---> Orange Juice - Rip It Up (via box.net)

Radio In Strangetown

Once again I've been regressing. G-Funk this time. Galaxy 101. Gangsta. The Rhythm Is The Bass And The Bass Is The Trebbbbbblllllllleeeeeee.

mp3 ---> Warren G & Nate Dogg - Regulate (via box.net)