A Lone Olive

I've been writing about bank loans this week...

Four things.

1. Banger.
2. As has been pointed out, I should've shared this on any other week when I was writing about a different financial product.
3. I'm Not Alone by Olive won the 1997 Ivor Novello award for Best Dance Music. Who knew there was a dance music category?
4. I have it on a Virgin Records compilation called The Chillout Mix and I need to stick it in the Celica. 

Original Image: Public Domain, Link

Opal Beef

Four Tet was on Essential Mix duty last weekend. It was a pretty tidy two hours but not quite the showstopper I was hoping for. One of the highlights though - aside from his homemade ramshackle idents - was one of his recent remixes:

Bicep - Opal (Four Tet Remix) is a twisty, knotty 8 minutes of ecstatic main room techno. It keeps the good things from the original and beefs up the other parts to make it a more straightforward club record. So everything a good remix should do in the traditional sense. And I think it's that traditional style of remix that led to a slightly sniffy RA review of it - and even more prickly comments. It probably comes from the same place as my reaction to Four Tet's Essential Mix. Basically, as it's Four Tet it should be groundbreaking. Just being very good may not be enough.

Make up your own mind on the Four Tet Essential Mix in next 20-odd days, as that's how long it has left on iPlayer. Or y'know head to MixCloud where I'm sure loads of people have already uploaded it.

Original image by Ra'ike (see also: de:Benutzer:Ra'ike) (Own work) [GFDL or CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Monday Morning Mindfulness

I think this might just be the most chilled out bit of music I've ever heard.

Sunset Village by Beverly Glenn-Copeland is what I reckon mindfulness would sound like as music. I've dabbled a little bit with mindfulness, well I've done the free 10 days thing on Headspace. I had to get over my antipathy for all things hippy and twee, but it can be quite useful. It's not the answer to everything that some people claim it to be, but it can be good just to sit, reflect, and meditate.

And maybe listening to Sunset Village from 1986 can help you let it go this icy Monday morning in 2018.

Original image by Ciro Mondueri [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Buzz Back

I'm back on the ol' Buzz album reviews. It's been a while, so long in fact that I felt like I needed to do another one to justify still having it in the hobbies/interests section on my CV.

So for April's issue I'm reviewing new albums from Alexis Taylor (Beautiful Thing) and Rival Consoles (Persona). I sadly missed out on Daphne & Celeste's comeback LP. No seriously, it's produced by Max Tundra and I was kinda intrigued.

Anyway I won't post any spoilers for my blistering 80 word missives. If you're in south Wales they'll be coming to a coffee shop near you soon, otherwise sign up to Buzz's damn handy fortnightly newsletter.

For now though, check out some videos from the aforementioned albums:

Alexis Taylor - Beautiful Thing:

Rival Consoles - Untravel:

EDIT: The reviews are now up online here.