#HappyMusicVolumeTwo

This second #HappyMusic selection, gathering 15 songs I picked for Griff's music challenge on BlueSky, ending today. If you missed yesterday's post, songs were eligible if they:

-- make you happy

-- include the word "happy"

-- contain any variation of "happy" in the title, lyrics or band name

-- feature a synonym of "happy"

-- remind you of happiness

As with yesterday's selection, today's featured songs - with the exception of the closer - are not in the order that I posted them, as I was making it up as I went along. I'm pretty happy with how the two mixtapes worked out.

Today's selection gets off to a cracking start with The Icicle Works (my pick on 10th August),  and embracing The Doors, Scritti Politti, The Raveonettes, The Undertones, Madness, Confidence Man, U-Roy, Donovan and a fab cover version by The Siddeleys.

Pussycat by Mulu provided the inspiration for the album artwork for the two volumes, whilst the super final song by Al MacKenzie - one half of D:Ream - has the perfect lyrical sentiment:

"You only get one chance at life, try not to fuck it up"

I can certainly get with that.

September beckons tomorrow. What challenge will the month bring?

1) All The Daughters (Of Her Father's House) (Long Version): The Icicle Works (1985)

2) That Great Love Sound (Album Version): The Raveonettes (2003)

3) Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) (Cover of Edison Lighthouse): The Siddeleys (1990)

4) It's Going To Happen! (Album Version): The Undertones (1981)

5) Jump For Joy: U-Roy (1976)

6) Mellow Yellow: Donovan (1967)

7) Francisca (Album Version): Espiritu (1992)

8) Up, Up And Away (Happy Sexy Mix By Danny Rampling): The Beloved (1990)

9) Pussycat (François Kevorkian Mix Edit): Mulu (1997)

10) Touch Me (Album Version): The Doors (1969)

11) Wings Of A Dove (Single Version): Madness (1983)

12) Holiday (Album Version): Confidence Man (2021)

13) Boom! There She Was (Album Version): Scritti Politti ft. Roger Troutman (1988)

14) The Crunch (Part 1) (Album Version): RAH Band (1977)

15) Life Is Short, Live It Well (Vocal Mix): Al MacKenzie (2026)

1967: Mellow Yellow: 6

1969: The Soft Parade: 10

1978: The Crunch & Beyond: 14

1981: Positive Touch: 4

1983: Wings Of A Dove EP: 11

1985: All The Daughters (Of Her Father's House) EP: 1

1988: Provision: 13

1990: Alvin Lives (In Leeds): Anti Poll Tax Trax: 3

1990: Blissed Out: 8

1995: Always...: 7

1997: Pussycat EP: 9

2003: Chain Gang Of Love: 2

2005: U-Roy Meets King Tubbys: 5

2021: Tilt: 12

2026: Evil Acid Barons: 15

#HappyMusicVolumeOne (1:03:23) (GD) (M)

Live It Well

Not a lot of chat today as I've been plagued by power cuts whilst composing this post and it's accompanying selection. Only brief ones, but they've knocked out the PC every time and it's taken increasingly longer to get everything up and running again. And it's raining again.

"Arse!" as Father Jack was inclined to say, well, shout.

In that spirit, here's some joie de vivre courtesy of a dozen songs that have already brightened up my 2026; some only just so as they were released for Bandcamp Friday.

Again, I've found myself with an embarrassment of riches and have compiled 12 of them for your listening pleasure today, and this weekend.

Spare Snare's cover of Say My Name by Destiny's Child has been knocking around since 2001, but it's just reappeared on brand new compilation, Love Your Later Stuff, so it gets in on a technicality. That, and it segues beautifully into the dub of Jezebell's Turn It Yes by Justin Robertson's Five Green Moons.

It was a chance check in with the official Gavin Friday website that led me to the David Holmes remix of The Church Of Love, which snuck out earlier this year. 

And if you enjoy the song by Al MacKenzie (D:Ream) which gives today's post it's title (well, half of it at least) I will be coming back to the Evil Acid Barons album, which is an early contender for compilation of the year... and only a handful of tracks have been released so far.

1) Protector: SAULT (Chapter 1)

2) Life Is Short, Live It Well (Vocal Mix): Al MacKenzie (Evil Acid Barons)

3) Program 70: Pye Corner Audio (Program 70 EP)

4) Love To Watch U: A_M_B_O_S_S (Machine X Human EP)

5) Nothing Ever (Tom Sharkett Remix): GLOK / Timothy Clerkin (Alliance Remixed)

6) Surrounded By Spies (Richard Norris Dub): Placebo (Surrounded By Spies EP)

7) Song Of Siraba (Cosmikuro Remix): A Space Age Freak Out (Song Of Siraba EP)

8) My Electric Dreams (Airsine Remix): Pete Bones (My Electric Dreams EP)

9) The Church Of Love (David Holmes Remix): Gavin Friday (The Church Of Love And Dancing EP)

10) Say My Name (Cover of Destiny's Child): Spare Snare (2001) (Love Your Later Stuff)

11) Turn It Yes (Justin Robertson's Five Green Moons Dub): Jezebell (Turn It Yes Remixes Vol. 1 EP)

12) Môgôya (BOM Nation Remix): Namian Sidibé (Remix EP)

Live It Well (1:07:07) (GD) (M)

Bone Idol

Peter Bonavota aka Pete Bones has been shakin' it for the past three decades but it's only in the last three years that I've really become aware of his music and remixes as Pete Bones or The Shaker. Another one of those 'better late than never' discoveries.

Expelled from school at age 15, Pete's subsequent CV has mapped out an interesting and varied vocation: DJ, label boss, KISS100fm resident and with hundreds of releases and remixes under his belt (which Discogs only scratches the surface with).

Pete's music has been been a regular on my monthly shopping list of late and this month was no exception. Splintered Bones Vol 1, a collection of Pete's "own edits of some of [his] fav classic tracks" that he's been playing out over the summer, was released on 1st December and it's a cracker.

 

 

Delve a little deeper and you'll find that many of Pete's previous releases feature remixes or re-edits of Talking Heads tunes and if that isn't incentive enough, then his own music across several albums is top notch too. But don't take my word for it, check it out yourself.

 

To set the weekend up nicely, here's a 10-track Dubhed selection that spans the last few years and gives a broad sense of where Pete's at right now. My clubbing days may be some way behind me and I have to agree that "Silent Disco Sucks" but this is a whole new definition of "House Music"...

 

1) Disko Drohne (Pete Bones Remix): Matt Gunn (2022)

2) Wild Moose Chase (Bedford Falls Players Remix): Pete Bones (2021)

3) Silent Disco Sucks (Al Mackenzie Remix): Pete Bones & The Stones Of Convention (2022)

4) Happy House (Pete Bones Rework): The Juan Maclean (2023)

5) Shoestring Budget (Super FU Remix): Pete Bones (2021)

6) The Mayor Of Malt Rave St (Tici Taci Remix By Duncan Gray): Pete Bones (2021)

7) Undertow (Pete Bones Remix): Warpaint (2019)

8) Gravitational Arch Of 10 (Pete Bones Rework): Vapour Space (2023)

9) Lady On A Grey Day (Justin Robertson Remix): Pete Bones & The Stones Of Convention (2022)

10) Skin Tight (Pete Bones Remix): D:Ream (2023)

 

2019: Crow's Nest: 7 

2021: Wild Moose Chase Remixed: 2, 5, 6

2022: Disko Drohne Remix: 1 

2022: Hyena Hopscotch Remixes: 3, 9

2023: Broken Hearts & Messed Up Minds: The Remix Album: 10

2023: Splintered Bones Vol 1: 4, 8

Bone Idol (1:09:16) (KF) (Mega)

D:Ream Time

D:Ream aka Peter Cunnah and Al Mackenzie released a mammoth collection, Broken Hearts & Messed Up Minds: The Remix Album, on 1st September. A companion to D:Ream's fourth album Open Hearts Open Minds, it's continuing their purple patch of quality tunes and top notch remixers.

There are 21 songs on the current compilation, the majority of which are new and exclusive to this release so I could easily have focused today's selection on that alone. However, I've gone down the same path as the previous Dubhed mix, with versions spanning 1993 to date. The previous selection was just over an hour; my challenge this time was to compile a C90 cassette-friendly side coming in at the three quarters of an hour mark. 

Half a dozen songs later, I think I cracked it. What do you think?

Happy Friday, everyone!

 

1) Gods In The Making (Brassneck Dub) (Remix By Al Mackenzie) (2011)

2) I Like it (Ramp New Game Dub) (Remix By Shem McCauley & Simon Rogers) (1993) 

3) Pedestal (Al Mackenzie's Pop Tart Remix) (2022)

4) I Used To Believe In Love (Pete Herbert Remix) (2023)

5) U R The Best Thing (Mo Bass Part II) (Remix By David Morales ft. D'Borah Asher) (1993)

6) Look At The Stars Now, Mama (Hardway Brothers Meet Monkton Uptown Deep Dive) (Remix By Sean Johnston & Duncan Gray) (2023) 

 

D:Ream Time (45:19) (KF) (Mega)

You can find my D:Ream Dubhed Selection from December 2022 here *

 

* I noticed that the KrakenFiles link isn't working and despite attempts to re-upload this morning, I'm still getting an "unknown error" response. Please bear with me and the link will be available at some point!

** KrakenFiles is having none of it as far as the 2022 D:Ream upload is concerned so I hope you'll be happy to make do with Mega for this one. Sorry!

*** KrakenFiles issue now resolved and the 2022 D:Ream selection is available again.

In Space We Trust

The final selection of 2022 highlights was becoming a bit of a monster. This nearly ended up as a 22-track, two-and-a-half hour megalomaniamix, such was my difficulty in paring down the many, many songs that I've loved this year but which hadn't made it onto the previous selections this week. 

 

Nobody needs a monster mix on New Year's Eve though, me included, so here's a rather more reasonable 10 track selection at just over an hour. I could quite decide if I was creating a club or a chill out area but hopefully enough to get a party started...in our case, Clan K, the cat, some food and party games and skipping Jools Holland's Hootenanny.

 

More of the usual suspects but a couple of new (to me) artists, BT COP and Residentes Balearicos, that were respectively introduced via the superb Shelter Me and Higher Love Vol. 2 compilations earlier this year.

 

And, just under the wire for consideration in 2022, I got home from work to find that my first package from my Last Night From Glasgow subscription had arrived. Four beautifully packaged coloured vinyl albums from Popup, Billy Reeves and The Soup Dragons and - most eagerly anticipated of all - on double yellow vinyl, Happy Ending by Hifi Sean and David McAlmont. Needless to say, the latter made my night/week/year.

 

Following yesterday's single of the year award, guess what? They've only gone and done it again.

 

2022 has seen some outstanding albums that I've lived with and listened to repeatedly. However, in face of incredibly strong competition, Happy Ending is just perfect from start to finish. I will be coming back to it again (and again) in future posts but in the meantime, no better way to close this compilation and my 365th post in 2022.

 

Happy Ending is my album of the year. 

 

Thanks for your support and comments and for continuing to inspire and motivate me on a daily basis. I never thought that I'd still be going, two years after starting this blog, but the constant delight of new music, unearthing personal favourites and being introduced to artists and music that I'd missed altogether is stronger than ever.

 

I hope, however you're marking this evening and whoever you're spending it with, that you have a wonderful New Year's Eve and a fantastic start to 2023.

 

1) First Rays Of A New Life: Dan Wainwright & Elle Redding (Mother Oak)

2) Proof Of Stake: BT COP (Shelter Me: various artists)

3) Silent Disco Sucks (Duncan Gray Remix): Pete Bones & The Stones Of Convention (Hyena Hopscotch Remixes)

4) Balearic For President: Residentes Balearicos (Higher Love Vol. 2: various artists)

5) Summer Lovin' (Full Length Version): Cerrone & Purple Disco Machine (Summer Lovin' single)

6) Dexter In Dub (Bedford Falls Players Remix): Perry Granville (Dexter In Dub single)

7) Space Is Us (Basement Jaxx Remix): Telefís ft. Sean O'Hagan (Space Is Us EP)

8) Jezebellearic: Jezebell (Jezebellearica Volume 1 EP)

9) Sail On: Al Mackenzie (Sail On single)

10) Beautiful: Hifi Sean & David McAlmont (Happy Ending)

 

In Space We Trust (1:02:00) (Box) (Mega)

The D:Ream I Could Believe

D:Ream aka Peter Cunnah and Al Mackenzie appeared in my 2021 round up with their rather fine comeback single Meet Me At Midnight and (no spoiler alert) they've done it again this year. 

 

Pedestal was released as a single in September and this month saw a rather fine remix package featuring, amongst others, Dubhed favourites Jezebell aka Jesse Fahnestock and Darren Bell. Jezebell were also in my 2021 list and (no spoiler alert), they'll be in this year's round up, which I'll be sharing after Christmas.

 

It's been a great couple of years if you're a fan of either or both. D:Ream's fourth album (and first in a decade) came out in 2021. Peter and Al also got the rights back to their third album In Memory Of..., gave it the love and attention it lacked first time around and re-released it into the world. Alongside both albums came a trio of remix packages available as a 'name your price' download via Bandcamp. Needless to say, an embarrassment of riches to be found across all.

 

So, in case you're already weary of Paul McCartney, Elton John, East 17 and Mariah Carey, here's a D:Ream selection of remixes, mostly from the past two years but also dipping back into the 1990s for a trio of classics by Leftfield, Sasha and Development Corporation. The remix of Unforgiven previously appeared on a Leftfield selection posted in February this year, but when it's this good, why apologise for repetition?

 

I'm loving the 21st century remixes too: Pete Herbert never disappoints and any of Al Mackenzie's remixes as Retroforward have been spot on. And that Jezebell remix is just sublime.

 

One more sleep to go until Christmas, but I hope this might encourage you to stay up a little later and dance around the Christmas tree. Keep scrolling to the bottom for an extra Christmas treat.

 

This one's especially dedicated to Jez, genius behind the A History Of Dubious Taste music blog. Wishing you all the best for your recovery.

 

1) Many Hands (Shape Of Space Remix By Paul Greendale & Chris Stevenson) (2021)

2) Unforgiven (Leftfield Hands Mix By Neil Barnes & Paul Daley) (1993)

3) I Used To Believe In Love (Ashley Beedle's NSW Love & Joy Vocal Mix) (2021)

4) U R The Best Thing (Sasha Dub) (Remix By Alexander Coe & Tom Frederikse) (1992)

5) Pedestal (Jezebell's Dizzy Heights Remix By Jesse Fahnestock & Darren Bell) (2022)

6) Drop Beatz Not Bombs (Deepchild Remix By Rick Bull) (2011)

7) All Things To All Men (Pete Herbert Remix) (2011)

8) Meet Me At Midnight (Retroforward Plays Pop Remix By Al Mackenzie) (2021)

9) Things Can Only Get Better (Superfly Development Vocal) (Remix By Development Corporation) (1993) 

10) Make Love Cool Again (RMN vs Jus Jez Remix) (2021)

The D:Ream I Could Believe (1:04:46) (KF) (Mega)

 

Pedestal

Please tell me how, please tell me how
It’s come to this again?
Tell me it aint so
I gotta know, I gotta know
Are we on again?
Maybe? I don’t know

What answer leaves you racked in doubt
Can’t figure you, can’t work it out
I’m wondering, "What the hell it all means"?

I put you up on a pedestal
You were the dream I could believe but you just kept on deceiving me
Well I held you above me
You just looked down on me

Tell it to the child, like you tell a child
You’re not making sense
Tell me, I must know
Give him a name. Give, give him a name
Just say his name
Tell me. I got a right to know

Come share another ecstasy
We’ll make love so tenderly
We’ll make love ‘til our bodies ache

I put you up on a pedestal
You were the dream I could believe but you just kept on deceiving me
I put you way up on a pedestal
I worshipped the ground you walked upon
But you just kept walking over me
Well I held you above me
You just looked down on me

My head, my hands aint got no feeling
In my head, my hands, you just don’t mean it
In my head, my hands I can’t believe it
I just can’t

I put you up on a pedestal
You were the dream I could believe but you just kept on deceiving me
I put you way up on a pedestal
I worshipped the ground you walked upon
But you just kept walking over me
Well I held you above me
You just looked down on me

 

Jesse Fahnestock, one half of Jezebell, is also 100% of 10:40 and has featured on this blog many times including the 2021 round up and (no spoiler alert) will be popping up again next week. Clearing the decks for a new album in 2023, Jesse has been posting a rather wonderful 10:40 advent calendar, containing previous album tracks, singles and remixes, all for free. I've been a fan since first discovering 10:40 during the pandemic and created my own Dubhed selection of 10:40 and Jezebell gems back in May. Many of the 10:40 tracks have re-appeared in the advent calendar so if you haven't got them already, I'd strongly recommend you get over there today!

 

Last Christmas Eve, I posted the latest festive offering from Martin Jenkins aka Pye Corner Audio. 2022 is no exception and Martin has provided another free/name your price chiller in the shape of Satan's Slay.  

 

It's going to be tough Christmas for many, I know. However you're spending your time this weekend, love and very best wishes from me. Your visits to this blog and comments on my musical ramblings have been a constant source of encouragement and support when I've found things difficult and I hope in some small way, I can pay some of this forward. 

A brief, prepared post for tomorrow. Normal business should resume on Boxing Day.

Thinking About All That Sunlight

Bringing the beats back home for the weekend with (just under) an hour of electronic grooves from 2022 that have got me shuffling around and throwing shapes. 

 

First up we have Steady State aka Dublin-based DJ and producer Eric Whelan with the title track (in German) of the excellent Shelter Me compilation. Out on the Paisley Dark Records label for six weeks only in May, all profits from album sales went to national housing and homelessness chariy, Shelter. A reliably brilliant selection featuring Jezebell, Richard Sen, Matt Gunn, Pete Bones and Bedford Falls Players amongst others, Beschütze Mich was the opening song and a highlight.

 

Cosmosolar is Alejandro Gamba from Argentina, who I first heard in June via his remix of Mundo D's Fight Your Enemy, which I've featured in a previous selection. I picked up Cosmosolar's All The Reasons EP on Bandcamp Friday in September, a four track feast with the title track featuring here. Another release on Nein Records, like Paisley Dark, a label that's relatively new to me that's fast become a go to for quality music.

 

Omri Smadar featured in the same selection as the Mundo D/Cosmosolar remix in July and this is another track from the rather special Phase Of Motion EP. Yuksek was on remix duties last time; this time around it's Omri himself with neighbour Obas Nenor aka Ronen Sabo.

 

I've been a fan and follower of Luxxury's music for a loooong time, initially coming via remixes and re-edits of the likes of Health, Led Zeppelin, Donna Summer, Little Boots and David Bowie. Blake Robin has also been producing his own music since the mid-2000s. Third album, Alright, came out in July and continues the theme of 1980s-inspired pop/dance tunes, drenched in Californian sunshine. 

 

A Mountain Of One also released their third album in 2022, Stars Planets Dust Me, emerging in early May. It completely passed me by until Swiss Adam highlighted the clutch of remixes accompanying second single Star over at Bagging Area in August. All highly recommended. For this selection, I've gone for the laidback grooves of Dublin DJ and producer Arveene Juthan. As an aside, today's photo/album cover is a cheeky, remixed nod to Swiss Adam's original holiday photo accompanying his post.

 

What Do You See In Me by Andres Y Xavi featuring Rolo McGinty (The Woodentops) had been out in 2021 but in March a remix package was released, including three sublime Balearic classics from Max Essa. I've previously selected the vocal mix; I've gone for the instrumental here which despite Rolo's absence is still a wonderful, blissful 8 minutes.

 

Ibibio Sound Machine released their fourth studio album Electricity in March and I completely missed it. Luckily, Jez over at A History Of Dubious Taste came to the rescue by posting a review a couple of weeks later and I immediately purchased the album in April. Produced by Hot Chip, the album is chock full of tunes that you can't help but move to. The album is still on heavy rotation, six months later.

 

You may have guessed from my review of last Saturday's Blancmange gig that (a) I like them a lot; (b) I like the post-reformation/Neil Arthur 'solo' Blancmange a lot; and (c) I like current album Private View, released at the end of September, a lot. Everything Is Connected, track seven of ten on the album, is one of the reasons why.

 

Franc Moody were completely unknown to me until I bought the 100-track EarthPercent x Earth Day Compilation Album, a digital behemoth that spawned a Dubhed Selection in early September. From what I can gather, Franc Moody are a London-based six-piece formed by Ned Franc and Jon Moody, performing a contemporary update of 70s/80s pop funk. Perhaps inevitably, they've also remixed Jamiroquai. The instrumental song featured here isn't entirely representative of the other songs I've heard but I was sufficiently intrigued to check out Franc Moody on YouTube and I'd recommend a peek.

 

The selection closes with Al Mackenzie (D:Ream, Field Of Dreams) and Sail On, his tribute to the greatly missed Andrew Weatherall. It's a beautiful song tinged with melancholy and optimism, Al's one-take vocal of the title all that needs to be said, really. The song is still available as a free/name your price download on Bandcamp, with all profit from sales going to I'm Homeless, get Me Out Of Here!, a Birmingham-based homeless charity that Al supports. Do the right thing.

 

It was only when writing the sleeve notes that I realised the link between the first and last songs, which feels even more pertinent with the departure of KamiKwasi, the return of Jeremy Hunt (if that's not Cockney rhyming slang by now, it should be) and the continued downward spiral of our un-Truss-tworthy PM. When I worked for Shelter many years ago, the aspiration was working towards a day when there was no longer a housing crisis and Shelter and other like-minded charities would no longer be needed. We're continuing to accelerate in completely the opposite direction, so thank goodness there are people and charities out there every day, trying to help and make a difference.

 

1) Beschütze Mich (from Shelter Me): Steady State

2) All The Reasons (from the eponymous EP): Cosmosolar

3) Smolyan (Night Mix) (from the Phase Of Motion EP): Omri Smadar

4) Midnight Special (Edit) (from Alright (Deluxx)): Luxxury

5) Star (Arveene Remix) (from the eponymous EP): A Mountain Of One

6) What Do You See In Me (Max Essa Extended Instrumental Mix) (from the eponymous EP): Andres Y Xavi

7) Casio (Yak Nda Nda) (from Electricity): Ibibio Sound Machine

8) Everything Is Connected (from Private View): Blancmange

9) Water (Instrumental) (from EarthPercent x Earth Day Compilation Album): Franc Moody

10) Sail On (from the eponymous single): Al Mackenzie

 

Thinking About All That Sunlight (57:00)