May: I Come Again - Fab, Trip 21

On February 21, 2024, still in trip-hop February, I shared Sneaker Pimps - Squaring the Circle here.

I had previously shared most of the Sneaker Pimps catalogue on the August 19, 2018 36 Chambers Nike Dunk High here.

In the fall of 2021, Sneaker Pimps began issuing a series of four sets of remixes of songs from Squaring the Circle called Rework Collection 1 - 4. I have compiled a collection of some of those tracks just for this revisitation. I selected mainly remixes by Liam Howe (AMP), it seems. I just liked them best. 

 

Sneaker Pimps - Rework reworked, NØ Comps., 2025.
decryption codes in comments

Fighter (AMP remix)
Child in the Dark (AMP remix)
Alibis (AMP remix)
So Far Gone (AMP remix)
SOS (AMP remix)
Stripes (AMP remix)
Paper Room (Markus Guentner remix)
Black Rain (AMP remix)
Love Me Stupid (Simonne Jones remix)

 

 

 

 

Although I previosly shared Sneaker Pimps studio recordings, the band has numerous live recorded sets well worth the listen. This is one of my favorites. This is a part of the ''Live at the I.C.A.'' set of recordings, also known as ''Home Taping''.

Let Liam explain. Liam sez:
     '' ''Home Taping'' was a club night that we organised around the release of Splinter in 1999. It was held monthly at the Institute Of Contemporary Art on the Mall in London (next to the Queen's house). As we all grew up in the 80's, we were very aware of the term ''Home Taping'' (the practice of taping records or radio onto a compact cassette at home). The music industry, which before the advent of the cassette recorder hadn't suffered any significant piracy, suddenly panicked and thought record sales would plummet due to the popularity of the humble cassette. They began a campaign to dissuade kids from copying music, its slogan: ''Home Taping is killing music'', its logo: a cassette perched on a pair of crossed bones (as in skull and cross bones).  The reason why we loved home taping was that, not surprisingly, this practice was not exclusive to us and it seemed that everyone who loved music had tapes that they had made or had been given to them which were totally formative in their musical and cultural development. The whole concept of the night was to invite people (famous and not famous) to send in their tapes and we would simply play them back. The idea was to cover 6 songs that were important to us and in true home taping style they varied quite stupidly from one to the other. We decided to perform them totally live, almost jammed, on 3 keyboards and an electronic drum pad. We stood 4 across the stage like 'Kraftwerk'. The thing I find most interesting is that this recording hints at the humorous part of the Sneaker Pimps, a part mainly kept under lock and key. Certainly I felt that playing Stevie Wonders 'Superstition' in a Kraftwerk kraut rock style was testimony to our comic intentions.''  

This one was recorded in 2000. This set is their most famous gig, featuring covers from David Bowie to Bjork.

Sneaker Pimps - Live at the I.C.A., Liam Howe released bootleg, 2000.

The Chauffeur (Duran-Duran cover)
Golden Brown (The Stranglers cover)
Venus as a Boy (Bjork cover)
Reward (Teardrop Explodes cover)
Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie cover)
Superstition (Stevie Wonder cover)

 

 

Revisiting,
NØ

Fab, Trip 21

I am so glad to welcome back this band. It's been nearly twenty years since their last release. Back in August 2018 I shared an in-depth post of the Sneaker Pimps. 

 

Their SP4 demos from 2004 was originally given to a record label, only to be refused, thus making it unreleased. It's initial name was Recall, but was later retitled simply SP(Sneaker Pimps)4. This rejected fourth album was released on the Sneaker Pimps website, back when it was functioning. There was a surreptitiously leaked seven track that popped up on a music player in a bar in Russia sometime around 2005-2006 that was after years verified as a legit Sneaker Pimps recording, which keyboardist Liam Howe confirmed as The Magnificent Seven.

Then low & behold, in 2021 an all new Sneaker Pimps - Squaring the Circle was released. Here it is in all its glory, confirming once more that the great Trip-hop acts can still get it done the right way.

I can't really say enough about this fantastic disc. With incredibly precise instrumentation & inspired lyrics from Liam Howe & Chris Corner, this release is on par with Becoming X, Splinter, or Bloodsport. The Pimps have not missed a beat. Corner's vocals are sounding stronger than even "Loretta Young Silks" & teamed with new vocalist Simonne Jones, they are nothing less than perfection. I feel that "Stripes" may be the best song the band has ever done, but listen for yourself & decide. I'll stop blathering now. 

 

Sneaker Pimps - Squaring the Circle, Unfail Productions, 2021.
decryption code in comments

Fighter    
Child in the Dark    
Alibis    
So Far Gone    
Immaculate Hearts    
No Show    
The Tranquillity Trap    
SOS    
Stripes    
The Paper Room    
Black Rain    
Love Me Stupid
Lifeline    
Pink Noise    
Come Like the Cure    
Squaring the Circle

Enjoy the Trip,
NØ

36 Chambers Nike Dunk High

I have two more releases from Dubhead (Soundclash Series 1 & 2) & all the Dububerflow from those postings (All Nation Rockers, The Love Grocer, Etherealites & three more), but this just happened to come up.

Guess that pungent aroma is Morcheeba wafting on the breeze. Aid00 over at Welcome to Wherever You Are blog just posted several Morcheeba items.

 A few years back, I posted up Morcheeba’s Part of the Process. That posting got a big response (even two heads-up from Brotherhood of Dub OGs Ib & Jonder, both non-triphoppers) & one commenter hinted at more...well...cheeba as well as a request for Sneaker Pimps Becoming X. Sneaker Pimps are in my top ten trip-hop bands, but I felt at the time that Becoming was quite readily available elsewhere & so declined to follow up on the request. I briefly considered posting up Becoming RemiXed, but decided it was also around the interweb, so...

The other day I was reading an article about the Beastie Boys & their X-Large & sneaker love. The article used the term "sneaker pimp" to describe some nameless individual the Boys paid to dig for old-skool deadstock tennies. This leads full-circle back to Sneaker Pimps. According to Chris Corner (guitar, synthesizer, vocals), the band  took their name from said article.

Becoming X was SP's most popular release, due in large to the vocal stylings of Kelli Dayton. After the Becoming X tour, there was a parting of the ways between the boys (Corner, Howe, Pikering et. al) & Kelli. Splinter followed in 1999 & Bloodsport in 2001. Bloodsport has many of my favorite tracks, including the hyper-great "Loretta Young Silks".

Here is the album version of that song from Bloodsport, a trio of acoustic versions of other SP tunes, & the previously unreleased "Miami Counting".

Sneaker Pimps - Loretta Young Silks, Splinter Industries SP007CD, 2002.

all decryption codes in comments

Loretta Young Silks (Album version)
Empathy Low (acoustic)
M'aidez (acoustic)
Loretta Young Silks (acoustic)
Miami Counting

When SP were putting the finishing touches on Becoming X, they were still in search of a female vocalist. In a bar in Birmingham, they heard the band The Lumieres, a proto-pixie-punk group.
Kelli Dayton was the singer, songwriter, & guitar player. They talked her into working with them & Becoming X was the result.

Here is an ultra-rare three-track seven inch single from The Lumieres.

The Lumieres - Cinder Hearts 7", 199?.

Side A -
Cinder Hearts

Side B -
Starry Eyes
In the Blue (Special Murder Version)

Kelli Dayton has been using her father's last name Ali for her solo releases since leaving the Pimps. Here is her second solo release (I wanted to post this but couldn’t resist the super hot cover from Tigermouth above).

Kelli Ali - Psychic Cat, One Little Indian US OLI335, 2004.

Hot Lips
Psychic Cat
Speakers
Home Honey I’m High
Ideal
In Praise of Shadows
Graffiti Boy
Groupie
Voyeur
Last Boy on Earth


Back to the Sneaker Pimps.

Here is the SP4 demos from 2004. This was originally given to a record label, only to be refused thus making it unreleased. It's initial name was Recall, but was altered to SP4. This rejected fourth album was released on the Sneaker Pimps website, back when it was functioning.

Sneaker Pimps - SP4, not on a label, 2004

First & Careless Rapture
This Will Make You Love Again
Song of Imaginary Beings
One Method
Lolita
Ma Fille Concrete
Deviate
Kiss & Swallow
Sailor
Tigers
Mercy
Subway
Polaroids
Naked but Safe
Missile

Many of the songs on this album were reworked for the first two IAMX albums. Chris Corner was becoming X, now he is...I AM X he declares. Taken from Kiss & Swallow / The Alternative, IAMX's first two releases, the I am X versions of SP4 tunes (plus two bonus tracks).

IAMX - Song(s) of IAMXinary Being(s), Assorted Tastes.

This Will Make You Love Again
Song of Imaginary Beings - The Alternative

Kiss & Swallow
Sailor
Mercy
I Polaroids
Naked but Safe - Kiss & Swallow

Song of Imaginary Beings (instrumental)
Kiss & Swallow (Moonbootica mix)

Back in 2005/2006, a music player was found in a Russian bar, it contained seven tracks which were suspected to be from the Sneaker Pimps. The tracks circulated the web for years with uncertainty, but several years ago, Liam Howe (keyboards) confirmed that they are indeed SP tunes. Howe referred to them as The Magnificent Seven. The vocalist on the tracks remains unknown. Here is the mp3 rip of the album.

Sneaker Pimps - SP5: The Magnificent Seven, not on a label, 2006.

Samaritan
Sun Ate the Moon
Rush
The Shutdown
Satelite
Elias
Girl in a Box

Enjoy,
NØ