Posts Tagged ‘Balearic’

Alainfinkielkrautrock

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

French

French


If you haven’t heard of Pilooski and his D.I.R.T.Y Soundsystem then prepare for something a little bit different. Purveyor of all things balearic-kraut-disco, this blog is a spontaneous explosion of leftfield 80s-tinged electronics. However, it’s creators are perfectly at home in delving into everything from avant-folk to cosmic drones.

It’s not only MP3′s on offer here. Esoteric Youtube videos populate most of the page, ranging from clips of an early documentary on New Order to the pop perfection of Split Enz.

If you like what you hear, for home listening you should definitely look into their compilations. Why release a compilation when everything is already available? Dirty Soundysystem have been answering this question since 2003. Their selections of little-known and hard to find recordings can be listened to from start to finish and lend themselves to repeat listening. Their latest: “Dirty French Psychedelics” is a compilation for classic rock radio with names our parents would recognize. In reality, it is a hallucinated voyage through the land of French pop psychedelics to be listened to in one sitting, eyes half-open in the heat of the summer of 2009. Certain experts will tell you that Bernard Lavilliers or Brigitte Fontaine are not psychedelic, and they are probably right. Who cares? It’s for people who want to discover or rediscover the music of the seventies, for those who want to listen to music without really paying attention and for those who want to listen attentively through their headphones. Have a good trip.

The MP3′s they put up on the blog are only there for a limited time, in their words: “For discovery purposes only. Support the music, buy records, read books, learn to cook”.

alainfinkielkrautrock

D.I.R.T.Y Official Site

Pilooski Myspace

Feel My Bicep

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

Pump it

Pump it


At the dawning of time, two mutants were trained by sensei Master Giorgio Moroder, to become synth warriors. From their home in the sewers of Manhattan, they battle petty criminals, evil megalomaniacs and alien invaders, all while remaining isolated from society at large.Feel My Bicep.

“No one can look down on someone who uses Feel My Bicep as their starting point as far as music blogs are concerned. The British blog has a taste for disco (nu and classic) as well as other related genres such as soul, new wave, proto-house and detroit techno. Eclectic aesthetics and posts which can make heads turn are all part and parcel of this unique resource. If that isn’t enough for you the crew behind the blog are some of the best disco editors around. Their debut 12″ released on Ghost Town NYC sold out in a few days and is about to be re-released while collectors eagerly anticipate their next release.” – Ozon Magazine

Check out the second installment from the Ghost Town posse (the label’s previous outing featured Citizen Cane). “Strawberry” takes the classic soul track “Strawberry Letter” (Shuggie Otis or Kool & The Gang) and gives it a driving Balearic house makeover. Combining a certain urgency and drive with a subtle soul touch, this one’s sure to be a dancefloor burner! Beautiful cosmic string – synth piece – pure 70s Balearica!

Classic cosmic disco jam – namely the Brothers Johnson “Strawberry Letter 23″. Beautifully slo-mo with lush keyes, it’s a paean to the universe! Check it here.

Bicep – Strawberry

Feel My Bicep

Feel My Bicep – Myspace

Feel My Bicep – Twitter

Balearic Mike

Saturday, November 14th, 2009
Balearic Mike

Balearic Mike

Sticking with all things bearded, original (and Northern) here is a great mix and interview with Balearic Mike. The definition of a DJ’s DJ. He lives and breaths music. He would eat it too but he prefers pizza. Having first made his name back in the 90s under the umbrella of the Luv Dup crew in Manchester, Mike has gone on to become a channel for the spirits of Ron Hardy, Larry Levan, Daniele Baldelli and Vangelis. Mike’s knowledge of disco, Italo, Balearic and house is unparalleled but he matches this with an uncanny ability to read a crowd and give em what they want.

“Ten years ago, people just wanted the big club records,” Mike is quoted as saying in a recent Guardian article on the Balearic sound, “But kids nowadays who are 20 want to hear bizarre things that aren’t getting played on the radio.”

Have a listen to this great mix and check out the interview over at i-D magazine online.

Balearic Mike on Myspace

iD Magazine – Mix and Interview

Guardian Article on Balearic Music