Yes, I know we have resurgence of mixtapes, and yes tapes are back in big style. but what is fascinating about this mixtape!? Well it shows Doug Shipton's endless love for new sounds, and rare records. And on this mixtape, it is based all around Yugoslavian 70's psychedelic funk/soul/jazz rock with just a pinch of ethno jazz to make things little bit exotic, but perfect for the dancefloor. It reminds me of React's famouse series Dope On Plastic (which I followed till number 5 - after that, Bigbeat was music of moment, and Fatboy Slim became a superstar), but let's dig deeper, shall we?
Doug Shipton is one fine gentleman, with his partner-in-crime Andy Votel, "co-founder of accidental world music label Finders Keepers Records, South London rare-disc-detective", and pretty great DJ. I find, his mixing, at least on this mixtape, under the influence Hip-Hop, cause transitions are made in drum solos and breakbeats, and so fast, that keeps you wonder "where am I, which dimesion is this, now?!", but without any scratching or back-spins. And he constantly keeps your feet moving.
But what's fascinate me personally, how the hell he got these gems?! Almost all of this records was released before my birth, and that would for sure be a tragedy - at least for my generation, cause they would become even more obscure and lost. Also I feel joy cause this ubercool dance music is made "here", in my ex-country - but it got nothing with nationalism and patriotism, simply I'm proud cause people like Doug Shipton found it/made it cultural significant. And all of that is put on two sides of tape, with cca 20 minutes of pure funkyness.
And one more thing, this review would be impossible without Belgrade's finest Dj Brka, who helped me with the tracks ID's. We salute You, Sir Brkic!!! We Care A Lot!!
Playlist:
A-Side: 1. Iliriana Riza - Valla Bravo 2. Septembar - Florida
3. Ljubomir Sedlar - ???
4. ???
5. Nesalomivi - Ja Imam Ideju
6. KIM Band - Ljubi me brzo...
7. Josip Boček - Dinamit 8. Srce - Gvendolina, Kdo Je Bil? 9. Sladana milosevic - Imam sve 10. Igor Savin - Alfa 11. Miki Petkovski - Budjenje 12.Igor Savin - U Mukama Rođena 13 - ??? (some prog-rock)
B-Side: 1.Grupa Dah - Majka Jugovica 2. Oliver Dragojevic - Sta Ucinila Si Ti 3. Radmila Karaklajic - Volecu I Sutra 4. Nada Knezevic - Neka Pati Ko Me Voli 5. ??? 6. Bebi Dol - Mustafa 7. ??? 8. Time - Kralj Alkohol 9. Andelko Klobucar - Tokata i Fuga u D-Molu, BMW 565 version (J.S.Bach) 10. ??? 11. (???) Tamas Kelle - Laura 12. Zana - Ti Si Neko Staro Lice 13. Boban Petrovic - Meterologija 14. Pestner Oto - Novi Svijet U 2035 15. ??? 16. ??? 17. ??? - "Elum pasa Zumbul sadi u sred puste Arabije..." 18. ??? 19. ??? - Gdje je Ljubav?
Leon Vynehall just a couple years prior was considered the prodigious young producer. Now, while I write these words, and his first long-play in career, he is became well established name. Was it through his ep's, his singles, or appereance on compilations (one we even reviwed, Music for Autobahns 2 curated by Gerd Janson for Rush Hour), even mixes and podcasts pretty fast cemented his future career.
His main weapon is melodies and track structures, that easily allowed you to just dip-in. Even most of his tracks were house oriented, this album is perfect down-tempo future classic. Main inspiration for album was, as Ryan Keeling in RA wrote was:"The record is basically an imagined soundtrack to his grandparents' journey from the UK to New York City—and the life that followed—in the 1960s. Four years ago, Vynehall's grandfather died, and in the period of mourning his grandmother told him the story of their immigration. As he looked over his grandparents' old Polaroids, Vynehall began to conceive of the project. The resulting album, which has a pair of accompanying short films and a novella that comes with the box-set version, is a convincing musical translation of the hope, expectations and disappointments of starting a new life somewhere else."
And he is right, you can hear perfect New York's Manhattan soundtrack on jazzy tracks like Movements (Chapter III), which you can hear on video above, or Drinking It In Again one short track that last enough while you sip-it your two fingers of pure whiskey.
Envelops (Chapter six) is another perfect imaginations of streeets of Manhattan on the cloudy day. While tracks like English Oak (Chapter VII) or Trouble (Chapter V) suddenly turns into darker mood, even with 4/4 kick drums. While droney and orchestred, with the sound of small birds, Ice Cream (Chapter VIII) reminds me on visiting Central Park And of course, it is worth to mention last track on album It Breaks (Chapter IX) have a sensation of late night Manhatten skyline, a perfect ending of an album.
This album is pretty short, but it is worth to go and get it, and listen. me personally enjoyed very much, and I have still no doubts in his, let's say that word' geniusness (is it a word??? please remind me, I will change it 😎 ). Also keep in mind this, cause while I finally decide to write down review, there is out his own contribution to Dj-Kicks series.
All I can say: "I want wake up in the city that never sleeps..."
"And in the First Book And in the Last Book And in all the Books InBetween And between the books and the words There is something at war with nothing There is someone at war with no-one And everything at war with you Your left eye is at war With your right eye And your lips are at war With your tongue And the jaw is flaming And just over beyond the Hill The birds sing so sweetly And through the flames they see That The Light Is Leaving Them All" - Current 93 - "30 RED Houses"
"And The Light Is Leaving Us All On Long Lane where we fall Into the CauseWay I heard the Stars split open By the post–by the Moon By the chapel–call the surgeon The surgeon is dead Call the PoliceMan The PoliceMan is dead And the Moon is drunk And the NightNurse is sick And the murderer's dead The assembly is killing time And the clock has slowed to sugar By the way–have you heard? The Light Is Leaving Us All" - Current 93 - "Policeman is Dead"
David Tibet, with his project Current 93, literaly gives us his heart,soul, nightmares, and fear, with his hand, he is just giving us as a present, as a gift. And when I recived this gifts (almost all Current 93 releases I own) i find this gift so heavy. It is not the burden, it is just so heavy... so heavy to even review, to express myself and my emotions. But as he was so grateful and honest, this is the most hard review I want to write, but I will do it. I guess he want to see me brave and hard-working, and to know that Light Is Leaving Us All.
Current 93 is musical project of David Tibet (with little help from Nurse With Wound's Steven Stampleton). Current 93 belongs to that part of English post-Throbbing Gristle scene, same scene from which will came cult projects as Coil, Nurse With Wound, Death In June, Sol Invictus, etc...
Current 93 with above mentioned friends.
I know you can't pin-point any of these bands, but their interest was influenced by psychology, occultism, magic, astrological occurrances, history of mostly Brittish forgotten traditions, runes, hinduism and buddhism, sociology, anthopology, obscure artists and arcane knowledges. Current 93 was on forefront of British neo-folk movement, but Current 93 couldn't simply put in the "neo-folk scene." Same goes for, above mentioned, Nurse With Wound, Coil, Psychich TV, Death In June, but instead they all create their own little scenes and art spaces, and connection with alternative and independt scene and artists, mostly squat scenes all over Europe, kraut-kosmische ex-band members, uncommon painters and writers. Also you may find some releases of these groups very, very hard to find or with hefty price tag, because of their experimental modus operandi, constant changes of band members, unfinished projects, and most important thing - their own releases, paid by and sold by the artists themselfs - without any need and desires to be in mediocre and mainstream labels and thiefery distributions. So they practise DIY (today so much used acronym), and some of them even toured all year just to eat and have shelters. I said Tibet along with Steve Stapleton from Nurse With Wound (who produced and musically helped Tibet to achieve his visions - and only consist member of C93, with Tibet) is interested in so much/many things and easily inspired by many, but mostly exotic, and rare artists and art techniques - that most of them are too rare, obscure and "far-away" for us "mere mortals" and "consumers" of the Art (with capitol A). I can say he is a man who was introduced to it by early age, and spent his time with people who had similar interests into rare books, paintings, etc, so even interest in The Light That Leaving Us All.
Noddy with bunch of Noddies
For a long time because his lyrics and his involment with TOPS (Temple ov Psychic Youth - trivia: David Michael Bunting was named by Genesis P. Orridge as David Tibet, name he still use, as we know): he was called satanist and black magic occultist, something which he always carried with his name and projects, but even his interests in buddhism or pre-Romans Brittain religions, hinduism, Crowley, runes, and of course Noddy he always said in his interviews that he is a christian. By the way have you heard... that Light Leave Us All.
For those who want to go deeper into his discography, there are plenty of releases, that will satisfy your need for knowledge, and if you like I would recommend classics such as: Nature Unvield, Earth Covers Earth,Christ and Pale Queens Mighty In Sorrow, All The Pretty Little Horses, Of Ruins or Some Blazing Stare, and absolute classic Thunder Perfect Mind. Music where you can hearneo-folk in combination with psychedelic and experimental and post-industrial music, while he sings his beautyful poems, (my mind) creates images of woods, forgotten grave stone, birds, and bright light of Sun. His singing also has that power to make every word count. When we would start to talk about his poetry... well some people could make thesis in English, anthropologie, history, or religion, by just listening his poetry or write on how Light is Leaving Us All.
Cover of Thunder Perfect Mind
Someone called this new album as a "...deeply hallucinatory, eschatology fairy tale, that villagers will see only one in their time. Everybody, even I with all of colleagues 'reviwers' can agree that this piece of apocalyptic neo-folk/pop is one those albums that have powerfull magic, a real art that demand your time and effort to really appreciate it, and to decode it to enjoy it with use of your senses and mind and to see the way the Light Leave Us All.
Here is whole album on bandcamp. enjoy and remember That Light Is Leaving Us All!!
