Today is gonna be the day they're gonna throw it back to you

With the dreadful wet weather that has greeted the first day of my two-week break, I thought it might be a good moment to visit some of the jollier newer music that has caught my ear of late (although, as is my wont, this selection is all a bit "retro-sounding") - the first such "Pick of the Pops" of 2021, indeed...

First to the bat is a group whose creativity has brightened our lives since they made their "comeback" in 2017 after a few years away from the spotlight - this time in a collaboration with the "Queen of the Red Carpet" himself, Mr Billy Porter!

The Shapeshifters featuring Billy Porter - Finally Ready (David Penn Remix)

Another welcome returnee to our airwaves is the faboo Felix da Housecat:

Felix da Housecat/Dave The Hustler/Blakk Hazel - Sweat!

Another somewhat bizarre collaboration, between masters of cool electro and the master of Britpop, works brilliantly:

Hot Chip feat. Jarvis Cocker - Straight to the Morning

Here's a fab discovery I recently stumbled upon - with their outrageous get-up and "Dead Or Alive"-esque sound styling, I love 'em:

Italove - I Trust You (Like I Trust Myself) (Matt Pop Club Remix)

Saving the best till last, however - here's a magnificent mashup that my dear sister alerted me to just yesterday! [Apparently Jimmy Somerville himself has said he loved this...]

Deco - Wonderwall x Smalltown Boy (Mashup Cover)

As ever, dear reader, let me know your thoughts...

I'm rich, I'm famous, I vanish, I'm glitz

Speaking of plastic surgery...

Here's the magnificent Felix da Housecat and the ever-wonderful Miss Kittin, with possibly the creepiest video imaginable - featuring, among other surgically-enhanced grandes dames, the bizarre Duchess of Alba (Full name: María del Rosario Cayetana Paloma Alfonsa Victoria Eugenia Fernanda Teresa Francisca de Paula Lourdes Antonia Josefa Fausta Rita Castor Dorotea Santa Esperanza Fitz-James Stuart, Silva, Falcó y Gurtubay)!

Felix da Housecat (feat Miss Kittin) - Madame Hollywood

Everybody wants to be Hollywood
The fame, the vanity, the glitz, the stories
One day, I'll become a great big star

You know like the big dipper
And maybe one day you can visit my condo
On the big hill you know like 9-0-2-1-0

Just imagine my face in the magazine
People analysing my look, my body or
Any plastic surgery

You know like the big dipper
And maybe one day you can shake
My hand on the planet Hollywood

You say, I'm not underground
I'm rich, I'm famous, I vanish, I'm glitz
I am the story, I am the star
You know like the big dipper

Sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll
It's over
It's over
I decide, it's over

Everybody wants to be Hollywood
And maybe one day you can visit my condo
On the big hill you know like 9-0-2-1-0, oh yeah

If that doesn't put you off "having a little work done", nothing will.

The High Priestess of Soul

That smoky-voiced diva Nina Simone would have been 75 today.

One of the most successful and well-respected black artists of the 20th century, Nina was renowned for being a bit difficult to deal with - she shot and wounded her neighbour's son with a pneumatic pistol after his laughing disturbed her concentration! - and her performances were always a bit unpredictable. One favourite anecdote of mine is from her residency at Ronny Scott's Jazz Club.

Apparently the audience had been waiting hours for the great lady to come on stage, when suddenly the doors to the club flew open and in she breezed with armfuls of carrier bags, plonked them down on the piano and just blithely launched into her opening number without so much as a nod to her waiting fans.

People adored her for it, of course. She always managed to retain an entourage of gay fans and acolytes, despite her strict religious background and perfectionism, and gained the nickname "High Priestess of Soul". When she died in 2003, Elton John sent a floral tribute with the message "We were the greatest and I love you".

Nina Simone - I Put A Spell On You

Nina Simone, Felix Da Housecat - Sinnerman

Nina Simone official website