Douglas McCarthy

In among the obituaries and remembrances for Sly Stone and Brian Wilson last week the news of the death of Douglas McCarthy slipped out. Douglas was vocalist in Nitzer Ebb and died at the very young age of 58. He was less well known than either Brian or Sly but Nitzer Ebb had a big impact in the 80s within a fairly niche world. Nitzer Ebb formed in Essex in 1982 and singed to Mute in 1986, making uncompromising and physical industrial/ EBM/ proto- house that demanded your attention. Their track Join In The Chant found its way to Ibiza and onto the legendary Balearic Beats Vol. 1 album alongside Thrashing Doves, Electro's Jibaro, The Woodentops, The Residents, Code 61 and Mandy Smith (among others).

Join In The Chant

Andrew Weatherall once said that the closest he came to finding God was dancing to Join In The Chant.

Let Your Body Learn, like Join In The Chant, came out in 1987, a single recorded at PWL with Phil Harding and then remixed at Hansa. There can't be many records that link the two worlds of PWL and Hansa. 

Let Your Body Learn 

RIP Douglas McCarthy. 

Hoomba Hoomba Chant Chant

This picture appeared in the August 1990 issue of The Face in an article called A Raver's Guide To Europe. It shows Andrew Weatherall at Pacha, Ibiza, hard at work doing research for Screamadelica and Morning Dove White.

Looking at the late 80s/early 90s there's a point when Balearic (an eclectic mix of records you could dance to that all fitted in with a certain vibe) turned into piano house and then chill out, i.e. people making records with a specific sounds and feel deliberately to evoke those Balearic feelings, the tail wagging the dog maybe. Piano house and chill out both quickly became debased currencies. This record from 1990 by Voice Of Africa skirts around that fine line, with the Keep On Moving drum sample and the tinkling piano line. Very close to the line.

Hoomba Hoomba

The Voice Of Africa record is a million miles from Balearica of The Woodentops, Fini Tribe, The Residents and Nitzer Ebb (not that any of those bands knew they were making Balearica at the time). Nitzer Ebb's Join In The Chant is a much tougher animal.

Join In The Chant