Chris Coco
Big Freeze 3
Chilled-out eclecticism is the flavour of this mix by Blue Room collaborator Chris Coco. Chris made his name playing heavily mixed-up sets of film music, dub, acoustic ditties and shimmering electronica all around the world, DJing at movie parties on the beach at Cannes, fashion parties for Fendi in Tokyo, outdoor events in Sydney and smoky after-hours clubs in Naples. Not bad going. CD1 is a mash up of new-school artists like Hercules & Love Affair, Prins Thomas, Aeroplane and Quiet Village. Excellent stuff if you happen to find yourself chilling out near a mountainside lake, or lounging in a hammock down some exotic beach. If not, you could always do something illegal and turn the lights down low. On CD2 things are more indie, more leftfield and more world, with artists including Loco Dice, Allez Allez, Monolake and Speck Mountain making an appearance. It’s inspired by New Order, Kraftwerk and the Velvet Underground, and you can hear all of these influences in his mix. There is also a strong filmic quality to a lot of the tracks and the way they are put together, which makes a nice change to banging dance mixes. You can also sense that Chris is really blown away by the tunes he selects, which is great in this age of instantly disposable music. You might have some ‘special’ moments, or even learn something you didn’t know from a mix like this, or alternatively it’s something to bang on when you get stuck at an after party with a load of daft indie kids. 3.5/5
Out now on Platipus
The Boardroom Vs Andrew Weatherall
The Boardroom Vs Andrew Weatherall
These recordings are centred around the Boardroom Studio, part of the Rotters Golf Club Studio that’s synonymous with the DJ legend that is Andrew Weatherall. At the heart of this group of musicians and producers is the engineering genius of Steve Boardman. Other members of the Golf Club featured on this release are Radical Majik, ESC, Conman and Le Sarge En Board. Sounds like they have fun down the club eh? This compilation features music by all of the above, two tracks by the sadly no more Two Lone Swordsmen, and three remixes from Mr Weatherall himself. The sound conjures up memories of The Clash circa Sandinista and Big Audio Dynamite in their more electronic guises both fusing with later techno influences. Think Strummer-style vocals, serious dub sounds, raw guitars and a heavy dose of techno mashed together and you’re starting to get the concept. Highlights are the Weatherall remixes of Spread The Hot Potato and Thru The Chicken Robot Shed, but the whole thing is well worth checking out to see how a DJ legend like Weatherall joins the dots between his lifelong interests in techno, punk, rockabilly and dub. 4/5
Out now on Rotters Golf Club
Detroit Grand Pubahs
Nuttin Butt Funk
The Detroit Grand Pubahs are back, and you either love them or hate them. When Mack Goudy Jr (aka Paris the Black Fu) and The Mysterious Mr O hooked up, the results were a mutant mix of twisted funk rock, wigged-out electro and Detroit techno. Sound pretty mad? Well it is. But sometimes it produces something on the good side of mad, such as the inspired funk rock of Rollin’ Paper & Bush – which brings to mind Funkadelic and Frank Zappa among others – or the serious techno of the pumping 50,000 Legions. Other highlights include the Public Enemy-style vibes of Rebel Music, and the seriously wigged-out electronica of Skydive From Venus. Some of this album might really do your head in, but at least it’s not boring and forgettable – or minimal. This is in your face and to the max. 3/5
Out now on DET.ELE.FUNK
Various
Cosmic Balearic Beats Vol 1
This mix compiles a load of tracks which are unreleased and exclusive, which I suppose is a selling point of sorts. But it’s the quality that matters, and there are some really nice tracks on here. The mix is provided by Skinny Joey, who did the wicked Area 45 edit on Mindless Boogie a while back. He is also a part of Rubber Room who provide a nice track on the mix themselves called Cockroach and who also run the top new edits imprint Disco Devil. Busy chaps. Other highlights come from Stratus on the wonderfully dreamy, Italo-inspired Footprints, and Phoreski’s 80s Boy which is about as 80s as Tucker boots (but a lot better) with its electro, new-wave and disco influences. Coyote aka veteran DJs Timm Sure and Ampo also pitch in very nicely with Grow Your Hair, a top slice of folked-up nu-disco Balearica. The whole affair ends in an excellent piece of slo-mo, chord-laden funk called Don’t Turn Away (From My Love) by Lovelock, which is well worth checking out for those end of the night slow dances. Nice idea showcasing new artists, and defo worth checking out. 3/5
Out now on Eskimo Recordings
Windsurf
Coastlines
Hailing from San Francisco, Windsurf are a combination of Sorcerer’s Danile Judd (Tirk) and Hatchback’s Sam Grawe (Lo Recordings). So not surprisingly their sound is cosmic disco, slo-mo house and electronica. Label owner Prins Thomas describes their music as “Tangerine Dream’s Edgar Froese meets Steely Dan”, and he’s spot on there. But also worth mention as influences are Sly & Robbie, Pink Floyd, Brian Eno, the Beach Boys, Japan and library records, among many others. Sometimes this kind of ‘listening music’ can just drift away into a mist of not enough happening. But these guys pitch it just right on this LP, and the result is music that’s drenched in quality and feeling which grows on you every time you listen to it, very much in the way Prins Thomas and Lindstrom’s breakthrough longplayer did. Highlights for me are Future Warriors and White Soweto, but switch it on, turn the lights down low and enjoy. 3.5/5
Out now on Internasjonal
Eero Johannes
Eero Johannes
Multi-talented graphic designer and electronic musician Eero Johannes Pitkaanen drops his debut release on Planet Mu. Part of the nicely named Scandinavian Skwee scene that combines simple synth leads and basslines with funk, R’n’B and soul, his music is challenging and interesting. Musically speaking, it glides through pop, electrofunk, Miami bass, R’n’B and dance influences like it don’t give a shit. Bang this CD on your iPod and I guarantee an interesting walk home. You might even drift momentarily out of your consumer-led coma and feel that freaky synth funk and some of those rather disorientating riddims. Highlights include the Depeche Mode-inspired Lipton Service Boy, the slo-mo freakiness of We Could Be Skweeeroes, the rather dirty Katt Witt 700 Watts and the simply stunning Polka Plok. I like it. 4/5
Out now on Planet Mu
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