EDEN AHBEZ

The perfect soundtrack for looking up at a cold, moonlit sky. Eden apparently wrote the jazz standard 'Nature Boy' while living under one of the 'L's on the Hollywood hillside. 

BLUE PHANTOM

Introspective, Italian psych from '71. Not to be confused with all-girl metallers, Phantom Blue. Though both groups output was admittedly extremely similar in tone and subtlety. 

LUIZ BONFA

Supremely influential Brazilian guitarist - I'm surprised I haven't featured Luiz already.

JAMES VINCENT

"Space traveller goin' home, space traveller all alone."

THE GRID

Here's Internasjonal boss Prins Thomas' sensitive remix of a slow-build, balearic beauty.

MEL'ISA MORGAN

Mesm'rising Mel'isa, 1986.

GAYLE ADAMS

Thanks to Rebekah for hooking me up with this fierce jam.

BEING BORINGS

Nice cut from Kenji Takimi's Crue-L label remixed by Eric Duncan. Great way to start the week! 

OPHIUCUS

Omnipotent cosmic prog taken from Ophiucus' 1971 LP.

BEE GEES

Very sexy re-work of a very sexy Bee Gees tune by Cole Medina.

LOREZ ALEXANDRIA

Beatnik vibe. Reminds me a little of the slightly off-kilter soul jazz Art Ensemble of Chicago made with Fontella Bass on 'Les Stances a Sophie.'

DEXTER WANSEL

I've chosen three tracks from Dexter Wansel's 1979 LP 'Time Is Slipping Away' as it felt callous not to. Each track features in my boudoir-disco top ten. The purple silk dressing-gown that Dexter is wearing on the cover obviously helps elbow some of the competition out of the way. 

And at number one:

400 BLOWS

Brief dalliance with post-punk on LC. Funky bunch.

HENRI TEXIER

Henri was in cahoots with jazz radical Don Cherry (father of jazz radicals Eagle Eye and Neneh) during the sixties. Minimalist meditation for double bass. Nice to hear the Oud hovering over the fug. 

PLUSTWO

Dancing 'round the sun-loungers on Rimini beach.

DAVID PRITCHARD

Epic nocturnal adventure influenced by Stockhausen and Weather Report. Features Nash the Slash on "volitile violin." Serious fact: According to the liner notes Pritchard was the first Canadian to sign to Island Records!

BREAKOUT

Tadeusz Nalepa is on seriously sultry form here.

LEO KOTTKE

Leo Kottke's discography is filled with masterful fret-work and thoughtful compositions. 'Ice Miner' has a quiet simplicity which is enormously powerful and sums up all the best components of his sound.

ICHISAN

Nicely paced Nu-Italo via Slovenia.

DIANA PEQUENO

Rio flamenco? Rio flamenco!

52ND STREET

Whip-crack Factory disco. A tune Paul Morley could get down to at a wedding.

DAVE BROCK

Hawkwind's head honcho driving full-pelt towards the horizon.

CLAUDE DENJEAN

A synthesizer line sweeter than thousands of Harry Nilssons'.

GARY LOW

 For some reason the exquisitely named Luis Romano Peris Belmonte changed his name to Gary Low.  Considering he made his trade in creating sun-kissed Italo tracks like 'Equador' you have to question his thinking. But what's in a name? I dig this track.

PHILIPPE LAURENT

Taken from the expertly compiled Minimal Wave Tapes. Heard this on Noise In My Head last week and thought "Crikey! What's this?" Evidently I had overlooked Philippe's contribution first time around. Alongside the Hard Corps tracks, this menacing electro sizzler has to be one of the standouts.

JAMES MASON

I'd be quite content if this groove went far beyond the 11 minute mark. 

RICARDO DONOSO

And one from 2012. I have really been enjoying the rippling synth work of Ricardo Donoso's Assimilating the Shadow. Like Tangerine Dream playing Berghain (although I'm not entirely sure what I mean by that). This one sounds really good on headphones. 

MY BLOODY VALENTINE

According to Kevin Shields there should be a new MBV album by the end of the year. Bam! Loved the re-masters, love the band.

MARK ISHAM

Playful, thumb piano-style electronics taken from Isham's 1983 solo debut.

LATA MANGESHKAR

Calls to mind a clear, starry night. There's magic in this music. Taken from the 1956 Bollywood movie, Taj. Happy Diwali!

VIRNA LINDT

Splash about with Virna.

PALAIS SCHAUMBURG

Palais Schaumburg's debut has recently been re-released - you should give it a listen. This track doesn't feature but it's the track I like most. The band itself was positively brimming with talent as Holger Hiller, Thomas Fehlmann & F.M Einheit all went on great electronic adventures after the bands' demise.  

FLYING JAZZ QUEENS

The Flying Jazz Queens were a South African mbaqanga jive combo functioning in the fifties and sixties, and fierce (but friendly) rivals of the slightly more famous Dark City Sisters. The band names suggest that (music aside) the Flying Jazz Queens were the Noel Coward to the Dark City Sisters' Lord Buckley. It's lovely to hear this colourful music while looking out the window on a drizzle-spattered London.

THE LITTLE FOLK

Beautiful and haunting folk. I think that this was their only recording as I can find nothing else. 

STEVE WINWOOD

This is Winwood's finest moment (in my opinion).

BRUNO BATTISTI D'AMARIO

Easy listening and bossa from this Italian guitar master. Both tracks make a great accompaniment to preparing a tasty salad.

 

BROTHER NOLAND

Taken from his 1983 album 'Pacific Bad Boy.' This gentle number reminds me of Ned Doheny.

YELLOWMAN

Featuring and co-written by the man with fingers in many delicious pies, Bill Laswell!
"Ribbit again, Lahd."

TATSURO YAMASHITA

Monumentally slick J-POP from Tatsu. 

LARRY LEVAN

20 years since Larry passed away. So good that he's as influential now as in his heyday. Here are two magic edits by the maestro.

LOGG

 

Leroy Burgess on the keys. I think Logg are pretty underrated. 

STAVROS LOGARIDES

 

Stavros features on the new compilation 'Into the Light: A Journey Into Greek Electronic Music, Classics & Rarities.' Go seek! Though this tune isn't strictly electronic it was written by Grecian electronic king, Vangelis.

BOBO & AGONY

 

This slow burner (in soca terms) has such a compelling and haunting melody line. Sort of like a soca take on John Leyton's 'Johnny Remember Me' (but not really).

PARADE GROUND

 

Hands in the air industrial pop for Mr Fawkes. 

WINDY & CARL

 

And these guys.

JAH WOBBLE - THE EDGE - HOLGER CZUKAY

 

One of the best things about heading back to the family homestead is being able to rifle through old records/cassettes/CDs that have been stored away unlistened for months/years. Lots of time spent with these guys.

 



DAVE SAMUELS

Exceptionally smooth vibes jam from Dave Samuels, 1988. I can imagine the guys from Tortoise took inspiration from this one.

MOEBIUS PLANK NEUMEIER

Here's an exhilarating electronics/drum workout from 1983 by Dieter Moebius (Cluster/Neu!), producer-savant Conny Plank and Guru Guru drummer, Mani Neumeier. Great men; great results. This is how Silver Apples should have sounded. 

SALMA AGHA

Lusty little number composed by Bappi Lahiri and performed by Salma Agha. Salma and her sister Sabina did some Hindi covers of ABBA songs in the early eighties which are pretty fun (in very small doses) if you love ABBA like I do. 

PAUL KASS

This louche number should have been on the soundtrack to Skyfall.

BOB CHANCE

Bob Chance's idiosyncratic 'It's Broken!' was re-released by Trunk records a few month ago. Funky and off-kilter. Here's a nice edit of the title track.