Decayed I: 2001

Side 2 of an imaginary compilation cassette, travelling through the 2000s.

Troubling the upper reaches of the UK's best-selling singles of 2001 were Shaggy, Atomic Kitten and S Club 7. Not to forget yesterday's reference to Westshite, who must have had a sideline commission on bar stools, the amount of time they spent with their arses glued to them whilst inflicting another ballad or cover version (or both) on us.

Yet, there was hope. Kylie Minogue was experiencing a purple patch of perfect pop songs, arguably none more so than Can't Get You Out Of My Head. Bucking the trend of one-week-only #1s, Ms. Minogue spent four weeks at the top, seven in the Top 10 and the best part of six months in the Top 75. 

Can't Get You Out Of My Head was apparently offered first to S Club 7 (well, their manager) then Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who both turned it down. I bet they've been kicking themselves ever since.

Basement Jaxx were also wanting to know Where's Your Head At, cracking the UK Top 10 in December. Featuring Damien Peachey on vocals, the song is built on the riff from Gary Numan's 1979 song M.E. and was accompanied by a memorable video.

Speaking of samples, there's a serendipitous connection between today's playlist and the original Decade mixtape series. In October 2001, Felix Da Housecat charted with the single Harlot, sampling the synth percussion of The Sound Of The Crowd by The Human League. That very song featured in my 1981 selection, having reached #12 in May of that year. It's almost like I planned it...!

Missy Elliott had previously scored a UK #1 in 1998, but it was a guest on ex-Spice Girl Melanie B's single I Want You Back. Get UR Freak On got to #4 in April 2001 and would prove to be Missy's highest charting single in the UK as a solo artist. It's a magnificent record, and Timbaland's production and the tabla frenzy underpinning the song cannot be underestimated. Yet, it wouldn't be half as good without Missy herself: her delivery is spot on and a breath of fresh air compared to many of her male contemporaries.

This was the year that we were introduced to The Strokes. I wasn't as blown away by them as the gushing music press appeared to be, though I found myself morbidly fascinated by Last Nite, both the video and the song. Both were unashamedly retro, yet there was something compelleing about their sound and look, even to an old cynic like me.

2001 also saw the first collaboration between Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams, a partnership that would really pay off a decade and a half later. Here, The Neptunes (Pharrell and Chad Hugo) get their hands on Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger and take it in a completely new direction.

The Charlatans, Depeche Mode, Faithless and Damon Albarn all came back with strong songs, reasserting their relevance in the 21st century. Albarn especially so, as in a radical departure from Blur, he co-created 'virtual' band Gorillaz to great critical and commercial acclaim. 

Trevor Jackson is the brains behind Playgroup, the only non-charting single in today's picks. Never heard of him? Break 4 Love by Raze or House Of Lovers by The Rapture? Two of the many record sleeves Trevor designed. The Underdog remixes of Massive Attack, House Of Pain, U2 or Everything But The Girl? That's Trevor. Late 1990s releases by Fridge and Four Tet (Kieran Hebden) on the Output label? Trevor ran it.

Playgroup's self-titled debut album is a thing of wonder and I will write about it at some point, here or elsewhere. Suffice to say that both it and the various singles should have been smash hits. Front 2 Back is featured here, with a strong lead from KC Flightt and a wonderful guest spot from Edwyn Collins on guitar, who nails it.

Robert Miles had a #2 hit with Children in January 1996. Nina Miranda, fronting Smoke City, got to #4 with Underwater Love in April 1997.  On paper, a collaboration between the two had 'hit' written all over it, surely? Sadly not. 

Paths is a great song, but managed just one week at #74 in July 2001. The Future Sound Of London aka Brian Dougans and Garry Cobain were no strangers to the UK charts themselves in the 1990s and they provide a stunning remix here. There is a full-length 7+ minute version on the 12" single, though everything you need is captured here in two hundred and twenty eight wonderful seconds.

Although labelled as a remix by The Future Sound Of London, Brian and Garry were revisiting another of their aliases, and this remix signposted their new direction. Stay tuned, as you'll find out what they were up to next week.

For your further listening pleasure, you may wish to head back to 1981 and 1991.

1) Love Is The Key (Album Version): The Charlatans
2) 19/2000 (Soulchild Remix By Damien Mendis & Stuart Bradbury): Gorillaz
3) I Feel Loved (Single Version): Depeche Mode
4) Get Ur Freak On (Edit By Timbaland & Jimmy Douglass): Missy Elliott
5) Harlot (Edit): Felix Da Housecat ft. Melistar
6) Muhammad Ali (Radio Edit By Rollo & Sister Bliss): Faithless ft. Pauline Taylor
7) Last Nite (Album Version): The Strokes
8) Front 2 Back (Album Version): Playgroup ft. KC Flightt & Edwyn Collins
9) Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (The Neptunes Remix Edit By Pharrell Williams & Chad Hugo): Daft Punk
10) Where's Your Head At (Radio Edit): Basement Jaxx ft. Damien Peachey
11) Can't Get You Out Of My Head (Album Version): Kylie Minogue
12) Paths (Future Sound Of London 'Cosmic Jukebox' Remix (Edit)): Robert Miles ft. Nina Miranda, Garry Cobain & Justin Gibson

22nd April 2001: Miss E ...So Addictive (#4): 4

1st July 2001: Gorillaz (#6): 2

22nd July 2001: Organik Remixes (#74): 12

5th August 2001: Exciter (#12): 3

2nd September 2001: Wonderland (#16): 1

23rd September 2001: Outrospective (#29): 6

23rd September 2001: Fever (#1): 11

21st October 2001: Kittenz And Thee Glitz (#79): 5

21st October 2001: Playgroup (# n/a): 8 *

11th November 2001: Is This It (#14): 7

11th November 2001: Discovery (#25): 9

2nd December 2001: Rooty (#9): 10

Side Two (45:05) (GD) (M)

* Front 2 Back failed to chart as a single, but Playgroup's self-titled album got to #94 in this week.

Seven Sleeps To Go

Never one to shy away from shoehorning in a theme, however tenuous the link, here are some 2024 releases relating to sleep.

Peirons has remixed Eels' 2004 song I Need Some Sleep, mashing it with a video edit of Steve Cutts' 2017 animated short Happiness (you can see the original version here), adding some Italian rapping (presumably his own) over the top. I love it all.

There was a time when I would buy anything that had Moby's name on, whether his own albums or singles, or his remixes for everyone from The B-52's to Metallica, Aerosmith to O.M.D. That time is long past, but I do occasionally dip into his new releases.

Moby's umpteenth album, Always Centered At Night, came out in June. I referenced it in a post about lead-in single Dark Days back in March...and then it completely passed me by. 

An album of remixes - 58 of them! - has emerged this month, good value at $25 but again not on my essential purchase list. However, Prins Thomas offers up a couple of remixes of Should Sleep which I was immediately drawn to.

The 5-minute Diskomix appeared on a previous single release, but this is the first time I've heard the 9-minute Extended Mix and it's the pick of the two for me. Both feature J.P. Bimeni's vocals left pretty much intact and used to great effect. 

Several tracks from Kito Jempere aka Kirill Sergeev's Part Time Chaos Part Time Calmness have featured in previous posts and selections. The album has marked an evolution in the Russian's musical journey, moving away from the house music that established him into a much broader span of styles and genres. Sleeping With The TV On is more of a jump than a (quantum) leap, but it's an intriguing 4 minutes of samples and beats.

Branching out from Rheinzand, hubby and wife duo Charlotte & Reinhard dropped the Guardian Of Sleep EP as a prescursor to a full length album. Sensuous, sexy disco... it ticks all the boxes.

 

Sensuous, sexy disco is not a phrase that you would use to describe a song by Field Music and I'm not about to start now. However, they've got a song called The Guardian Of Sleep which appeared on their latest album Levels Of Language in October. And it's one of their funkier ones, for sure. That bassline!

 

Another artist that I've revisited this year via a new album is Denmark's finest, Hess Is More. The album CÆKE is a sparse, minmalist treat, packed with melodies and nonchalant vocals, and Are You Sleeping is a prime example. Difficult to resist humming or whistling along to any of these, which is recommendation enough, surely?

But for those of you who can't sleep, rest assured that pretty much every week of the year, some have-a-go, would-be superstar DJ will post yet another remix of Insomnia by Faithless.

December's offering is by DJ Coruja from Brazil. Whereas most contemporary remixers seem obsessed with upping the BPMs, dropping 'mad' breaks and adding far too many bells, whistles and parps than the brain can hope to process, this one happily goes the other way. 

Lifting an electro rhythm - I'd like to say with confidence that it's Scorpio by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, but I'm not sure - the rest is positively restrained and, better still, complements Maxi Jazz's sublime vocal delivery throughout. At 11 minutes, it's more than a match for the original version and might be a tad too long, but it's head and shoulders above any of the other efforts that I've heard this year.

Unsung Champion

45 minutes of Faithless for no other reason than "Why not?"

No epic-length cuts here, a few remixes, a fistful of hits, loads of guest vocalists and at the centre, the trinity of Rollo, Maxi Jazz (RIP) and Sister Bliss.

Enjoy!

1) Fatty Boo (Extended Version ft. The Hiites) (2005)

2) Insomnia (Original Radio Edit) (1995)

3) Hour Of Need (Skinny Mix By Matt Benbrook ft. Jamie Catto & Rachael Brown) (1999)

4) Crazy English Summer (Album Version ft. Zoë Johnston) (2001)

5) Killer's Lullaby (Nightmares On Wax Mix By George Evelyn) (1999) 

6) Muhammad Ali (Radio Edit ft. Pauline Taylor) (2001)

7) Miss U Less, See U More (Single Mix ft. LSK) (2004)

8) Reasons (Saturday Night) (Album Version ft. Ian Dury) (2005)

9) If Lovin' You Is Wrong (Cleaned Up Edit ft. Pauline Taylor) (1996)

10) We Come 1 (Wookie Rmx By Jason Chue) (2001)

11) Bring My Family Back (Album Version ft. Rachael Brown) (1998)

 

1995: Insomnia EP: 2

1996: If Lovin' You Is Wrong EP: 9 

1998: Sunday 8pm: 11

1999: Saturday 3am: 3, 5

2001: Muhammad Ali EP: 6

2001: Outrospective: 4 

2002: Reperspective: The Remixes: 10

2004: Miss U Less, See U More EP: 7 

2005: Fatty Boo EP: 1

2005: Forever Faithless: 8 

Unsung Champion (45:07) (KF) (Mega)

You Can Touch It But It Will Still Not Fade

Side 2 of a cassette compilation, recorded 11th January 1998.

When I posted Side 1 in July 2022, I described it as "eight remixes that I was unlikely to ever hear down the local indie disco, but which in their own way, kick ass." Side 2 is all that, and more.

 

If there's a duff remix of Planet Telex by Radiohead, I've yet to hear it. The UNKLE remix was possibly the first one that I heard, tucked away on one of the CD singles for Just, and it remains my favourite. 

 

Likewise, K-Klass took New Order's Ruined In A Day and elevated it to a higher plain, surpassing the original to the extent that I'm pretty sure that this was the version the band 'performed' when they appeared on Top Of The Pops. Or, at least if it's not true, that's how I prefer to remember it.

Arab Strap's reworking of Don't Die Just Yet by David Holmes has appeared here before, as well as in a guest post that I did in January 2021 for The Vinyl Villain. Again, a remarkably strong bundle of remixes from Mogwai, Delakota and Holmes himself and Messrs. Moffat and Middleton.

Mixed in are some trip hop beats from Attica Blues vs. Lightning Seeds, a bit of drum 'n' bass from Tamsin Elliott vs. Faithless and Lush taken on a gothtronica excursion by Spooky. And then there's Beck, put through the aural equivalent of a meat grinder by Aphex Twin and somehow surviving. 

 

Closing on a funky but rather more sedate pace is Jon Carter, shrugging off his Monkey Mafia mantle to mix the Manics. Phat beats and a trumpet, what more could you want?

 

1) Planet Telex (Karma Sunra Mix By UNKLE): Radiohead (1995)

2) You Showed Me (Attica Blues Vocal Mix) (Cover of The Turtles): Lightning Seeds (1997)

3) Richard's Hairpiece (Remix Of "Devil's Haircut" By Aphex Twin): Beck (1997)

4) Ruined In A Day (Reunited In A Day Remix By K-Klass): New Order (1993)

5) Reverence (Tamsin's Re-Fix By Tamsin Elliott): Faithless (1996) 

6) The Holiday Girl (Don't Die Just Yet) (Remixed By Arab Strap): David Holmes (1997)

7) Undertow (Spooky Remix By Charlie May & Duncan Forbes): Lush (1994)

8) Kevin Carter (Busts Loose) (Remixed By Jon Carter): Manic Street Preachers (1996)

 

1993: Ruined In A Day EP: 4 

1994: Hypocrite EP: 7

1995: Just EP: 1 

1996: Kevin Carter EP: 8

1996: Reverence / Irreverence (ltd 2x CD): 5 

1997: Don't Die Just Yet EP: 6

1997: The New Pollution EP: 3

1997: You Showed Me EP: 2

 

Side Two (46:02) (KF) (Mega)

Side One avaialble here

The Sun Has Come Again To Hold You

Today's selection shines a spotlight on guest vocalists. All of the nine tracks have electronic leanings, veering from club to dub along the course of under an hour.

There will be some familiar names - Boy George, Texas, Elizabeth Fraser, Guy Garvey - and some less so, but they all add something unique to the song, even when put through the remix rinse.

 

Most of the artists will also be well known, with a couple of surprises tucked away. Cabana was a one-off collaboration between superstar DJ Sasha aka Alexander Coe and long-term producer Tom Frederikse. The former went on to global domination whilst the latter swapped music for law in 1999, specialising in Digital Media.

 

Battle Box was also a one-off project, this time for 3D aka Robert Del Naja, who pops up again with Massive Attack later in the selection.

 

The most unexpected pairing is perhaps Paul Weller and Boy George on One Tear in 2017. I haven't fact checked this at all, but was this their first time in the studio together since Band Aid in 1984? Whatever, it was worth the wait...!

 

1) Red Alert (Jaxx Radio Mix): Basement Jaxx ft. Blue James (1999)

2) Music Matters (Axwell Extended): Faithless ft. Cassandra Fox (2007)

3) Bailando Con Lobos (Goodmen Fresh Dub): Cabana ft. Sheila Schwok (1994)

4) Battle Box (Remix): Battle Box ft. Guy Garvey (2012)

5) The Hush (67% Mix): Rae & Christian ft. Texas (1998)

6) One Tear (Club Cut Alternative Version): Paul Weller ft. Boy George (2017)

7) Empire Ants (Miami Horror Remix): Gorillaz ft. Little Dragon (2010)

8) Group Four (Security Forces Dub) (Remix By Mad Professor): Massive Attack ft. Elizabeth Fraser (1998)

9) Strange Addiction (Bud Addiction) (Remix By Charlie May & Duncan Forbes): Spooky ft. Celestine Walcott-Gordon (2005)

The Sun Has Come Again To Hold You (58:22) (Box) (Mega)

Note: After yesterday's fiasco of accidentally leaving off Touch Me by The Doors from the Whatever Happened To Reg? selection, (running) order has been restored and you can now listen to/download the full playlist as intended. If you didn't notice the omission yesterday, please ignore this note and I may just get away with it...

Deep In The Bosom Of The Gentle Night

Celebrating Maxwell Alexander Fraser aka Maxi Jazz, 14th June 1957 to 23rd December 2022.

 

Maxi Jazz is inextricably linked with Faithless, not least for the classic singles Insomnia and God Is A DJ. Today's selection goes a little wider and deeper, picking up his pre-Faithless solo material and his other releases with Soul Food Cafe and E-Type Boys, as well as collaborations with Tiësto, Akasha and 1 Giant Leap. 

 

The earliest Maxi Jazz appearance I have in my collection is a guest spot on the 12" version of Erzulie by Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart from 1991. I haven't kept up with Faithless releases in the 21st Century so the most recent song is by Maxi Jazz & E-Type Boys from 2016. 

 

All in, there's a dozen songs spanning 25 years and giving a flavour of just how good a wordsmith and performer Maxi Jazz was. Rest easy, man.

 

1) Soundcheck Jam: Faithless (1996)

2) Insomnia (Monster Mix By Rollo & Sister Bliss): Faithless (1995)

3) Dance4Life (Radio Edit): Tiësto ft. Maxi Jazz (2006)

4) God Is A DJ (Yes He Is) (Remix By Rollo & Sister Bliss & Jason Howes): Faithless (1999)

5) My Culture (Album Version): 1 Giant Leap ft. Maxi Jazz & Robbie Williams (2002)

6) Erzulie (Extended Dependent Mix): Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart ft. Natacha Atlas & Maxi Jazz (1991)

7) Bring My Family Back (Album Version By Rollo & Sister Bliss): Faithless (1998)

8) Oh No Ya Don't: DJ Maxi Jazz & Soul Food Cafe (1996)

9) What More Can I Say: Maxi Jazz (1992)

10) Maximum Karma (Sloop John Barillo Remix By Adam Blake): Akasha ft. Maxi Jazz (1999)

11) Seize Your Power: Maxi Jazz & E-Type Boys (2016)

12) Woozy: Faithless (2000)

 

1991: Erzulie EP: 6 

1992: The Maxi-Single: More Of What You Need EP: 9

1995: Insomnia EP: 2

1996: Irreverence: 1 

1996: Original Groovejuice: 8

1998: Sunday 8pm: 7

1999: Cinematique: The Remixes: 10

1999: Saturday 3am: 4

2000: The Beach OST: 12

2002: 1 Giant Leap: 5

2006: Dance4Life EP: 3

2016: Simple.. Not Easy: 11

 

Deep In The Bosom Of The Gentle Night (1:08:04) (Box) (Mega)

Far Too Much Trouble And Not Enough Time!

Side 1 of a mixtape, originally compiled 8th February 1997 and liberated during lockdown in 2021.

 

As mentioned when I posted Side 2 in July last year, this is possibly the closest I got to a "Now That's What I Call Dance Music" hits compilation, with all of the songs (bar two songs) enjoying success in the UK singles chart.

 

Insomnia by Faithless has troubled the charts multiple times: #27 in December 1995, it's highest placing of #3 in October 1996 and a return at #17 in September 2005. Further remixes and reissues, including a trademark rework by Avicii in 2015, have been less successful commercially speaking, but nothing detracts from the sheer majesty of the song. The album version is essentially a re-edit of the Moody Mix. To get around the cross-fade from the previous track and to align the running time with Side 2's duration, I've spliced the introduction from the single version of the Moody Mix, so you get a slightly extended take on the original mixtape opener.

 

Tori Amos had dabbled with remixes before - I've previously enthused about the epic remix of 1994 single God by The Joy - but it was another radical remix that finally got her to the UK #1 spot in January 1997, this time courtesy of Armand Van Helden. The garage overhaul of Professional Widow actually appeared first as a double A-side with the more characteristic Hey Jupiter, managing a first week peak of #20 in August 1996, before drifting down the charts. However, the growing popularity of the Van Helden remix was enough to convince label EastWest to re-release it in its own right, with additional (good, but not as good) remixes by Mr. Roy. History was made.

Likewise, Common People was the song that broke Pulp, perhaps in more ways than one. Smashing into the singles chart in June 1995, it spent the first 2 weeks at #2 and 10 weeks in the Top 40. Follow up double A-single, Mis-shapes/Sorted For E's & Wizz, achieved a similar first 2 weeks at #2 in October 1995, no doubt bolstered by the controversy surrounding the latter track and "drug wrap instructions" sleeve. By "controversy", I mean the Daily Mirror getting into a ill-informed media frenzy, but that's for another post. This follow up single also included a couple of remixes of Common People for good measure, including the Motiv8 Club Mix featured here. An odd one, in that it didn't seem particularly loved by my indie- or club-centred friends, who preferred the original version if at all. It sounds dated now, but I still like it.

 

Like Going South by The Wolfgang Press on Side 2, Lazarus by The Boo Radleys really should have been their breakthrough hit. Creation obviously believed so too, as they tried twice, first in 1992 and again in June 1994 with a slew of remixes from the likes of Saint Etienne, Secret Knowledge and Augustus Pablo. The record-buying public disagreed: it entered the UK chart at #54 and 3 weeks later dropped out of the Top 100 altogether, never to return. Lazarus is frequently my favourite Boo Radleys song and a key part of the stunning Giant Steps album. I saw them live in Derby around this time and they just couldn't do the song justice. I like all of the remixes, even the Augustus Pablo take. Martin Carr allegedly thought Pablo was taking the piss (& the money) by simply laying some reverb and echo over the original 12" version, but nevertheless it works. Even better is the remix by Ultramarine. I was big fan of theirs and this version did not disappoint. 

Ultramarine also provided an excellent remix of Missing by Everything But The Girl, albeit on the initial "flop" single release in August 1994, which scraped in at #69. Just over a year later, it was a completely different story, as Todd Terry's remix took off and the re-released single got to #3, spending a phenomenal 14 weeks in the Top 10. Great though it is, I prefer the original remixes, especially this one by Ben Watt.

Adored And Explored was the lead single from Marc Almond's 1996 album Fantastic Star. Not one of his better albums, though I've come to appreciate it more in recent years. I tended to buy the singles less for the lead track and more for the generous helpings of B-sides, session versions and remixes. Adored And Explored (#25 in May 1995) remains a Marc Almond highlight, however, and I enjoyed the remixes by Messiah, Beatmasters and X-Press 2. Andy Meecham, fresh from Bizarre Inc and a bright future with Chicken Lips and as The Emperor Machine ahead of him, delivers a brace of excellent remixes. This is my favourite of the two, with a beautiful clash of guitars and beats and an irreverent approach to Marc Almond's vocals, chopping them up and slowing them down. This song also supplies the mixtape's title.

 

Today's photo is another snapshot of my nostalgic wander around Bristol on Tuesday. I used to go to Lakota a lot back in the day, though I pretty sure that I would never have heard any of the songs on this mixtape played there. The club itself had been under threat many times over the years and there was national coverage in April 2020 of plans to close the club and convert it and the surrounding space into offices and flats. As at March 2022, the threatened demolition and further gentrification doesn't appear to have happened, but Lakota itself looks very much dead and gone. As ever, revisiting the past elicits mixed emotions.

1) Insomnia (Moody Mix By Rollo & Sister Bliss) (Album Version w/ Extended Intro): Faithless (1995)

2) Professional Widow (Armand's Star Trunk Funkin' Mix By Armand Van Helden): Tori Amos (1996)

3) Common People (Motiv8 Club Mix By Steve Rodway): Pulp (1995)

4) Lazarus (Ultramarine Mix): The Boo Radleys (1994)

5) Missing (Little Joey Remix By Ben Watt): Everything But The Girl (1994)

6) Adored And Explored (Andy Meecham's Slow Fat Dub): Marc Almond (1995)

Side One (46:32)

Side Two here

There's Help, If You Know Where To Look

Side 2 of a mixtape, recorded sometime in 1998. 

 

This one's a bit of a mystery as the original cassette is long lost and I only came across the track listing whilst sorting through a box of paperwork. I've no idea if I did the mixtape for myself or a friend, but it's big on beats and euphoric synths so it's ideal for getting up and out on Saturday after an exceptionally long week at work.

1) Salva Mea (Album Version By Rollo & Sister Bliss): Faithless (1996)

2) Atom Bomb (Atomix 4): Fluke (1996)

3) A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld (Orbital Dance Mix By Alex Paterson & Jimmy Cauty): The Orb (1990)

4) The Way (Joshua's Dubwise Mix By Joshua Michaels): Global Communication (1996)

5) La La La (Fatboy Slim Mix By Norman Cook): Tranquility Bass (1997)

Side Two (45:26) (KF) (Mega)