SIDE A | by Tom Waist1. Aphex Twin | Alberto BalsalmStill 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, BabyWaits' 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 | AquariusTogether 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, LoudI 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 SicilianiMorricone 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 SunshineNot 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 SoldierRather 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 MeA 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 MarsThis 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 MeVery 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 JaeDetroit 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 | MondrinThe 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 | EisbärI 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 CornerHerbie Hancock - funky and experimental as always.
