WARMER MIXTAPES #410 | by Zip Stolk and Tom Waist of Homework
SIDE A | by Tom Waist
1. Aphex Twin | Alberto Balsalm
Still gives me goosebumps. I very clearly remember the day I first heard this song. It was even before I heard the entire (mind-blowing) I Care Because You Do album. There is something about this particular track by RDJ that touches me deeply. It is so sweeping in scope and yet somehow so simple. I could name ten other tracks by him that had the same impact on me, but this was one of my first ventures into his brilliant work. Without a doubt it changed my musical tastes forever and opened up my mind for the way electronic music can get into people's hearts, if not souls.
2. Tom Waits | Please Call Me, Baby
Waits' songs shaped me, maybe even more than I know and more than is healthy for any young man. This song flows like a good Bukowski poem and touches on a sort of acceptance of sadness I've felt a lot when I was younger.
3. Boards Of Canada | Aquarius
Together with the first track in this top 10, this forms a double bill that shaped my musical upbringing. The bass line, listening to it again on headphones, on this track is very ballsy for a BOC track. Their work is hard to describe and so is my love for it... Orange, yeah, that's right!
4. Aphrodite's Child | Loud, Loud, Loud
I remember I heard this track a long time ago (possibly on a Finders Keepers compilation), but it took me almost ten years to find it again via a podcast by Damian Lazarus. It's very enchanting in a 70's way and has a wonderful, poetic statement at it's core.
5. Ennio Morricone | Il Clan Dei Siciliani
Morricone is hailed for this his sweeping, epic western soundtracks, like The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, but actually I prefer the (somewhat underrated) work he did for 60's French cinema. This here is the main title for a gangster movie of the same name by Henri Verneil (underrated in his own right), starring French policier legends Alain Delon, Lino Ventura and Jean Gabin. The movie is rather B and therefore the soundtrack might seem to fit like a glove, but on repeat listening to this theme you will find it to be exceptional in the most ingenious way. Morricone builds his big song around a simple and very catchy theme. It goes beyond the movie and (for me) beyond his other work as a composer.
6. Roy Ayers | Everybody Loves The Sunshine
Not only the best summertime track ever made (next to Will Smith's classic Summertime), also a showcase of Ayers' magnificent sound. The changes in this song and the way if grooves and flows are stunning and yet feel so easy and self-evident
7. Spandau Ballet | Gold (12" Extended Version)
You might call it a dirty pleasure, but in a way I still think Spandau Ballet's most enigmatic track is rather well produced. In a flashy, glamorized 80's fashion. Hadley's vocals are part larger than life and part far-out ridiculous. This is a song that only works for you if you are very (!) open minded about your nostalgia. This 12" Extended Version adds as much to its ridiculousness as it does to its epic scope. Love is like a high prison wall. Really?
8. Susan Christie | For The Love Of A Soldier
Rather rare Folk gem full of melancholia. Somehow also very groovy. Love the effects on the backing vocals.
9. Tom Waits | The Ghosts Of Saturday Night (After Hours At Napoleone's Pizza House)
Just had to include another Waits song, (not really) coincidentally from the same The Heart Of Saturday Night album. When I strolled through a deserted Berlin, morning Sun on my face, I could hear this song playing out in my head. I still get goosebumps when he groans: Early morning final edition is on the stands / And the town crier is crying there with nickels in his hands / Pigs in a blanket, sixty-nine cents / Eggs roll 'em over and a package of Kents.
10. The Other People Place | Let Me Be Me
A track that has been with me since the day I discovered Electronic (Dance) music. The work of TOPP has never been copied or topped. The album of which this track is a part is full of excellence. Without exceptions. I can listen to this track in any mood, at any moment.
This is most definitely one of my favorite songs of Arthur Russell. The first time I heard his music was whilst watching the documentary Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell which is a must see for everyone! Arthur Russell was an American cellist, composer, singer, and musician and played a major role in the New York Disco scene. He produced some instant classics like Is It All Over My Face under the name Loose Joints (with Steve D'Aquisto) and Go Bang! under the name Dinosaur L. Recently Strut Records released Arthur's Landing, an album entirely comprised of new versions of Arthur Russell songs, some known, some never previously heard. The tracks are reworked by Ernie Brooks, Peter Zummo and Joyce Bowden. This album is perfect for a late night or a beautiful morning. Give it a listen!
2. Teddy Pendergrass | The More I Get (John M+M Get It All Mix)
I came across this record whilst working in Concerto (the record store where Tom and I met). Teddy Pendergrass was an American R&B/soul singer and songwriter. He made beautiful music! One of my favorite tracks of his is Two Hearts which he made together with Stephanie Mills. The remixer of this track, John Morales is a Disco DJ who also became a legendary Mixer/Remixer in the eighties. He started editing/remixing his favorite tracks to get himself longer versions to play at his gigs. He made remixes for the likes of Loleatta Holloway, War, Candi Staton and Inner Life. This a golden combination of an artist and a remixer. This is oh, so funky!
3. Dexter Wansel | Life On Mars
This track has one of the most beautiful intro's I've ever heard. Dexter Wansel is an American keyboardist. He contributed to the development of the Philly Sound. Which is a style of soul music characterized by funk influences and lush instrumental arrangements, often featuring sweeping strings and piercing horns. Dexter wrote The Jones Girls 1981 Soul music song Nights Over Egypt, and Patti Labelle's If Only You Knew. Both instant classics!
4. Blondie | Rapture (Special Disco Mix)
Probably everyone knows this track but you have to listen to the 13 minute Special Disco Mix. Solo's, crazy drums, extra vocals, mad guitars. This track drives me crazy (in a good way), this track makes me wanna dance forever.
5. Serge Gainsbourg | Ballade De Melody Nelson (with Jane Birkin)
Serge Gainsbourg always makes me cry.
6. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou | Noude Ma Gnin Tche De Me
Very recently I went to a gig where Orchestre Poly-Rythmo played, it was so good. The guys are from Benin and are already making music for over thirty years and most of the band members are over fifty years old. They make Benin Vodun (Voodoo) music. Benin is the birthplace of Vodun (also Vodoun, or, as it is known in the West, Voodoo), a religion which involves the worship of some 250 sacred divinities. The rituals used to pay tributes to those divinities are always backed by music. The majority of the complex poly-rhythms of the vodun are still more or less secret and difficult to decipher, even for an accomplished musician. Two Vodun rhythms dominate the music of Orchestre Poly-Rythmo: Sato, an amazing, energetic rhythm performed using an immense vertical drum, and Sakpata, a rhythm dedicated to the divinity who protects people from smallpox. Both rhythms are mixed in with Funk, Soul, Crazy organ sounds and Psychedelic guitar riffs.
7. Moodymann | Shades Of Jae
Detroit Techno/House legend Kenny Dixon Jr. made some really nice music. Instead of pushing the tempo of house and techno music faster and faster, Kenny takes it slow and and makes use of classic Soul and Jazz samples and low-slung bass lines. The composition of this track is very weird but that's why it's so good. The kick comes in after 2:42 and then immediately goes out... Teasing mutha fucker. Check out Black Mahogani and of course all his other albums and check the interview he did with Red Bull.
8. B12 | Mondrin
The first time I heard B12 was probably somewhere around my sixteenth. I was working for the Dance department of Concerto Records and my colleague let me listen to the Electro-Soma album. I was completely speechles by the beautifulness of this album. Mike Golding and Steve Rutter tell you a story through soundscapes. It sounds a bit like Kraftwerk, Aphex Twin, Boards Of Canada, Underworld and Reese & Santonio all worked together on an album. Ambient techno at it's best.
9. Grauzone | Eisbär
I came across this record whilst digging through my dad's old record collection. He used to do a lot of stuff in the record business so he still got tons of vinyl ranging form Soul to Jazz to rock and other experimental stuff. Anyway, Grauzone was a band from Berne, Switzerland active in the early eighties. They were one of the pioneers in the Neue Deutsche Welle. Freaky track because of all the crazy effects and weird synths.
10. Herbie Hancock | Just Around The Corner
Herbie Hancock - funky and experimental as always.
1. Aphex Twin | Alberto Balsalm
Still gives me goosebumps. I very clearly remember the day I first heard this song. It was even before I heard the entire (mind-blowing) I Care Because You Do album. There is something about this particular track by RDJ that touches me deeply. It is so sweeping in scope and yet somehow so simple. I could name ten other tracks by him that had the same impact on me, but this was one of my first ventures into his brilliant work. Without a doubt it changed my musical tastes forever and opened up my mind for the way electronic music can get into people's hearts, if not souls.
2. Tom Waits | Please Call Me, Baby
Waits' songs shaped me, maybe even more than I know and more than is healthy for any young man. This song flows like a good Bukowski poem and touches on a sort of acceptance of sadness I've felt a lot when I was younger.
3. Boards Of Canada | Aquarius
Together with the first track in this top 10, this forms a double bill that shaped my musical upbringing. The bass line, listening to it again on headphones, on this track is very ballsy for a BOC track. Their work is hard to describe and so is my love for it... Orange, yeah, that's right!
4. Aphrodite's Child | Loud, Loud, Loud
I remember I heard this track a long time ago (possibly on a Finders Keepers compilation), but it took me almost ten years to find it again via a podcast by Damian Lazarus. It's very enchanting in a 70's way and has a wonderful, poetic statement at it's core.
5. Ennio Morricone | Il Clan Dei Siciliani
Morricone is hailed for this his sweeping, epic western soundtracks, like The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, but actually I prefer the (somewhat underrated) work he did for 60's French cinema. This here is the main title for a gangster movie of the same name by Henri Verneil (underrated in his own right), starring French policier legends Alain Delon, Lino Ventura and Jean Gabin. The movie is rather B and therefore the soundtrack might seem to fit like a glove, but on repeat listening to this theme you will find it to be exceptional in the most ingenious way. Morricone builds his big song around a simple and very catchy theme. It goes beyond the movie and (for me) beyond his other work as a composer.
6. Roy Ayers | Everybody Loves The Sunshine
Not only the best summertime track ever made (next to Will Smith's classic Summertime), also a showcase of Ayers' magnificent sound. The changes in this song and the way if grooves and flows are stunning and yet feel so easy and self-evident
7. Spandau Ballet | Gold (12" Extended Version)
You might call it a dirty pleasure, but in a way I still think Spandau Ballet's most enigmatic track is rather well produced. In a flashy, glamorized 80's fashion. Hadley's vocals are part larger than life and part far-out ridiculous. This is a song that only works for you if you are very (!) open minded about your nostalgia. This 12" Extended Version adds as much to its ridiculousness as it does to its epic scope. Love is like a high prison wall. Really?
8. Susan Christie | For The Love Of A Soldier
Rather rare Folk gem full of melancholia. Somehow also very groovy. Love the effects on the backing vocals.
9. Tom Waits | The Ghosts Of Saturday Night (After Hours At Napoleone's Pizza House)
Just had to include another Waits song, (not really) coincidentally from the same The Heart Of Saturday Night album. When I strolled through a deserted Berlin, morning Sun on my face, I could hear this song playing out in my head. I still get goosebumps when he groans: Early morning final edition is on the stands / And the town crier is crying there with nickels in his hands / Pigs in a blanket, sixty-nine cents / Eggs roll 'em over and a package of Kents.
10. The Other People Place | Let Me Be Me
A track that has been with me since the day I discovered Electronic (Dance) music. The work of TOPP has never been copied or topped. The album of which this track is a part is full of excellence. Without exceptions. I can listen to this track in any mood, at any moment.
SIDE B | by Zip Stolk
1. Arthur Russell | This Is How We Walk On The MoonThis is most definitely one of my favorite songs of Arthur Russell. The first time I heard his music was whilst watching the documentary Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell which is a must see for everyone! Arthur Russell was an American cellist, composer, singer, and musician and played a major role in the New York Disco scene. He produced some instant classics like Is It All Over My Face under the name Loose Joints (with Steve D'Aquisto) and Go Bang! under the name Dinosaur L. Recently Strut Records released Arthur's Landing, an album entirely comprised of new versions of Arthur Russell songs, some known, some never previously heard. The tracks are reworked by Ernie Brooks, Peter Zummo and Joyce Bowden. This album is perfect for a late night or a beautiful morning. Give it a listen!
2. Teddy Pendergrass | The More I Get (John M+M Get It All Mix)
I came across this record whilst working in Concerto (the record store where Tom and I met). Teddy Pendergrass was an American R&B/soul singer and songwriter. He made beautiful music! One of my favorite tracks of his is Two Hearts which he made together with Stephanie Mills. The remixer of this track, John Morales is a Disco DJ who also became a legendary Mixer/Remixer in the eighties. He started editing/remixing his favorite tracks to get himself longer versions to play at his gigs. He made remixes for the likes of Loleatta Holloway, War, Candi Staton and Inner Life. This a golden combination of an artist and a remixer. This is oh, so funky!
3. Dexter Wansel | Life On Mars
This track has one of the most beautiful intro's I've ever heard. Dexter Wansel is an American keyboardist. He contributed to the development of the Philly Sound. Which is a style of soul music characterized by funk influences and lush instrumental arrangements, often featuring sweeping strings and piercing horns. Dexter wrote The Jones Girls 1981 Soul music song Nights Over Egypt, and Patti Labelle's If Only You Knew. Both instant classics!
4. Blondie | Rapture (Special Disco Mix)
Probably everyone knows this track but you have to listen to the 13 minute Special Disco Mix. Solo's, crazy drums, extra vocals, mad guitars. This track drives me crazy (in a good way), this track makes me wanna dance forever.
5. Serge Gainsbourg | Ballade De Melody Nelson (with Jane Birkin)
Serge Gainsbourg always makes me cry.
6. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou | Noude Ma Gnin Tche De Me
Very recently I went to a gig where Orchestre Poly-Rythmo played, it was so good. The guys are from Benin and are already making music for over thirty years and most of the band members are over fifty years old. They make Benin Vodun (Voodoo) music. Benin is the birthplace of Vodun (also Vodoun, or, as it is known in the West, Voodoo), a religion which involves the worship of some 250 sacred divinities. The rituals used to pay tributes to those divinities are always backed by music. The majority of the complex poly-rhythms of the vodun are still more or less secret and difficult to decipher, even for an accomplished musician. Two Vodun rhythms dominate the music of Orchestre Poly-Rythmo: Sato, an amazing, energetic rhythm performed using an immense vertical drum, and Sakpata, a rhythm dedicated to the divinity who protects people from smallpox. Both rhythms are mixed in with Funk, Soul, Crazy organ sounds and Psychedelic guitar riffs.
7. Moodymann | Shades Of Jae
Detroit Techno/House legend Kenny Dixon Jr. made some really nice music. Instead of pushing the tempo of house and techno music faster and faster, Kenny takes it slow and and makes use of classic Soul and Jazz samples and low-slung bass lines. The composition of this track is very weird but that's why it's so good. The kick comes in after 2:42 and then immediately goes out... Teasing mutha fucker. Check out Black Mahogani and of course all his other albums and check the interview he did with Red Bull.
8. B12 | Mondrin
The first time I heard B12 was probably somewhere around my sixteenth. I was working for the Dance department of Concerto Records and my colleague let me listen to the Electro-Soma album. I was completely speechles by the beautifulness of this album. Mike Golding and Steve Rutter tell you a story through soundscapes. It sounds a bit like Kraftwerk, Aphex Twin, Boards Of Canada, Underworld and Reese & Santonio all worked together on an album. Ambient techno at it's best.
9. Grauzone | Eisbär
I came across this record whilst digging through my dad's old record collection. He used to do a lot of stuff in the record business so he still got tons of vinyl ranging form Soul to Jazz to rock and other experimental stuff. Anyway, Grauzone was a band from Berne, Switzerland active in the early eighties. They were one of the pioneers in the Neue Deutsche Welle. Freaky track because of all the crazy effects and weird synths.
10. Herbie Hancock | Just Around The Corner
Herbie Hancock - funky and experimental as always.
