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‘Disco Argento 2: The Sequel’ - even MORE Disco-Horror madness!


 
So buzzed was I by the reaction to my first Disco Argento mix (downloads maxed out on Soundcloud* - thanks guys!) that I decided to go digging through the vault of horror/disco cash-in records yet again to put together a follow-up. And so I give you… Disco Argento 2: The Sequel! As with most sequels, it feeds heavily off the original’s success while boldly pushing the concept into uncharted waters (the 1980s). I feel as if this time I got to truly express my vision, though it could be argued that I am over-indulging myself (twelve minutes of Pat Hodges?!).

I’m pretty chuffed to be able to put a few real gems on this mix - tracks like Stelvio Cipriani’s theme for Tentacles (actually called “Too Risky A Day For A Regatta”), Riz Ortolani’s energetic jazz-funk workout “Drinking Coco” from Cannibal Holocaust and the simply divine “New York One More Day” by Franisco DiMasi from the score for Lucio Fulci’s The New York Ripper (possibly the only passable excuse for that super sleazy film to exist). What is with these Italians and their fabulous soundtracks? It’s also the second appearance of the day for DM pal Matt Berry, heard here in his Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace guise as Todd Rivers, with an electrifying remix of his ode to thwarted passion “One Track Lover”. Here’s the tracklist in full:


NOSTROMO Alien
GOBLIN Tenebre
FABIO FRIZZI Zombi 2 (aka Zombie Flesh Eaters)
FRANCISCO DI MASI New York One More Day (Disco Beard edit)
ROBERT RODRIGUEZ Police Station Assault
RIZ ORTOLANI Il Corpo Di Linda
TODD RIVERS One Track Lover (Synthia Remix)
FAT BOYS Are You Ready For Freddy?
FRANCIS HAINES The Trioxin Theme (aka Return Of The Living Dead Theme)
JOHN CARPENTER & ALAN HOWARTH The Duke Arrives/Barricade/Snake dialog
PAT HODGES Fly By Night (Midnight Mix)
RIZ ORTOLANI Drinking Coco
STELVIO CIPRIANI Tentacoli (aka Tentacles)
THE CHAMP’S BOYS ORCHESTRA Tubular Bells (Cosmic Mix)
 

  Disco Argento 2: The Sequel! by theniallist
 
BONUS!
An excellent trailer re-edit by Orgasmo Sonore of Stelvio Cipriani’s Tentacoli:
 

 
*You can now download Disco Argento Vol 1 here:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/eg1dcw

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Posted by Niall O'Conghaile
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10.28.2011
02:44 pm
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The Boss: Nick Ashford tribute mix by Kirk Degiorio


 
Soul and pop music lost one of its greatest songwriters on Monday, with the passing of Nicholas Ashford, one half of the duo Ashford and Simpson. Have a quick flick through Ashford and Simpson’s songwriting resumé  and you’ll be pretty gobsmacked at some of the tunes they’ve had a hand in - they’re without a doubt one of the best songwriting duos of the modern age, writing huge hits for Diana Ross, Chaka Khan, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terell, Sylvester, Ray Charles, Marlena Shaw/The 5th Dimension and lots more.

London-based producer and dj Kirk Degiorgio has put together a special Nick Ashford tribute mix, featuring some of the man, and the couple’s greatest work. This is a fitting tribute indeed, and if you were in any doubt as to how good these guys were, wrap your ears around the following. Damn you cancer, but at least we know the man’s legacy will live on for a long time. 
 


 
Full tracklist after the jump…


Thanks to Kelvin Brown.

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Posted by Niall O'Conghaile
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08.25.2011
07:42 am
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The last ever Dj set from the legendary NY nightclub The Saint
07.27.2011
08:17 pm
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Robert Mapplethorpe image for The Saint’s “Black Party” 1981 via OrangeMercury.

Thanks to Tony Dunne for the sterling work on this - stitching together various tapes to create a four-and-a-half-hour continuous mix of the DJ Warren Gluck from the closing night of the legendary New York nightclub The Saint in 1988. Tony says:

“There may be slight differences from the originals because of the tape endings. Sound quality could of course be better but the recording was taken from cassette tapes.”

The Saint was a members-only gay club opened in 1980 by New York club owner Bruce Mailman (St Mark’s Baths), and the architect Charles Terrell. It gained legendary status almost immediately, due in no small part to the huge planetarium-style dome over the dancefloor (which hosted massive light shows and also served to hide and amplify the club’s sound system) as well as the notoriously permissive attitude to sex in the club, in the upstairs areas and at special events like “The Black Party”. Unsurprisingly the AIDS epidemic decimated the club’s clientele, leading to its closure in May 1988 (a year after both Studio 54 and the Paradise Garage). The Saint never received the acclaim for its music in the same way the Garage did, despite mixes like this proving it was just as excellent (the music may have been different but gays were raving long before acid house). University of East London lecturer, disco historian and author Tim Lawrence sums it up in his thesis “The Forging of a White Gay Aesthetic at the Saint, 1980-84” (a must read for fans of disco, gay history and New York nightlife):

...whereas historians of dance culture have hailed the Garage’s Larry Levan to be the most influential DJ in the city during the 1980s, the shifting roster of selectors who worked at the Saint have merited barely a single mention—an unlikely scenario given that privileged white groups often receive more attention than disadvantaged subaltern groups. Based on numerous interviews with key protagonists, documentary material held in the Saint’s archive and recordings of DJ sets from the Saint, this article redresses the imbalance by outlining the contributions of Jim Burgess, Alan Dodd and Roy Thode, the Saint’s principal DJs during the opening 1980–81 season, as well as Shaun Buchanan, George Cadenas, Michael Fierman, Michael Jorba, Robbie Leslie, Howard Merritt, Chuck Parsons, Terry Sherman and Sharon White… their collective impact was considerable, even if their very collectivity also meant that each was ultimately disposable.

For more information on the history of The Saint, and the ongoing “Saint At Large” reunion parties, visit Saint At Large.com. But for now lose yourself in Warren Gluck’s awesome final dj set at the club:
 

  The Saint Closing Party - Warren Gluck continuous mix by Tony Dunne
 

Posted by Niall O'Conghaile
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07.27.2011
08:17 pm
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Dam Funk: King Of The Boogie
06.04.2011
08:36 pm
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It’s a Saturday night and I’m feelin’ alright… and this excellent dj mix is just too damn good not to share!

“Boogie” is an often overlooked subset of disco and funk. It peaked in the early 80s when many of the acts from the disco era looked for a new dancefloor style, swapped their guitars for synthesizers and modified their syncopation to suit the popular roller disco phenomenon. Though relatively short lived and with no major artists representing the style in the mainstream (outside of funk-pop acts like Cameo or the more P-Funk-y Zapp) it managed to be hugely influential. It reared its head again for a while in the 90s when many of the original records found themselves being sampled in hip-hop and in particular g-funk, courtesy of producers like Dr Dre. It’s a very West Coast sound, and when it comes down to it nobody knows boogie quite like Dam Funk.
 
Dam Funk - “Hood Pass Intact”
 

 
This native Los Angelino’s name should be familiar to music cognoscenti, as he has released a string of records to much critical acclaim on San Francisco’s Stones Throw label, including the mammoth 2009 5-LP set Toeachizown. A man with a strong fetish for original FM and analog synths, his sound is definitely heavily influenced by early 80s funk and disco and 90s hip-hop, while maintaining a singular sound and atmosphere.

But Dam Funk is not just a talented producer, he is also an excellent DJ, as this awesome set proves. Although he hosts a weekly funk shindig in Los Angeles called Funkmosphere, this recording is taken from the first birthday party of the London night Deviation, and uploaded to Soundcloud by the BBC Radio 1 DJ Benji B. Dam is what is known as a “personality DJ” who is not afraid to get on the mic, give shout outs to the audience, and tell us the names of the tunes he is playing. And damn are those tunes hot - I just keep playing this mix over and over, it’s that good.. You can find more info on Dam Funk (including tour dates, merch and downloads) on the Stones Throw website. But for now just hit play, blaze, boogie and have a great Saturday night: 
 

 
 
Thanks to Kelvin Brown for the link.
 
Bonus!

The original video for Dam Funk’s DJ staple “Dangerzone” by Midnight Express (whose dancing zombies theme possibly pre-dates “Thriller”):
 

Posted by Niall O'Conghaile
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06.04.2011
08:36 pm
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The Young Lady’s Post-Punk Handbook, Volumes 1-3
02.22.2011
08:01 am
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Volume One (1978 - 1983)

01 [00:00]  Laurie Anderson – “Example #22″ (‘Big Science,’ 1982)
02 [02:48]  Delta 5 – “Innocenti” (‘See the Whirl,’ 1981)
03 [04:54]  The Go-Go’s – “Automatic” (‘Beauty & The Beat,’ 1981)
04 [07:40]  Raincoats – “Red Shoes” (‘Odyshape,’ 1981)
05 [10:28]  X – “The Once Over Twice” (‘Wild Gift,’ 1981)
06 [13:01]  Flying Lizards – “Her Story” (‘Flying Lizards,’ 1979)
07 [17:17]  Jane Hudson – “Mystery Chant” (‘Flesh,’ 1983)
08 [21:00]  Crass – “Smother Love” (‘Penis Envy,’ 1981)
09 [22:46]  Blondie – “Heart of Glass” (‘Parallel Lines,’ 1978)
10 [27:17]  Sonic Youth – “I Dreamed I Dream” (‘Sonic Youth’ EP, 1982)
11 [31:55]  Selecter – “On My Radio” (‘Too Much Pressure,’ 1980)
12 [34:54]  Marine Girls – “A Place in the Sun” (‘Lazy Ways,’ 1983)
13 [37:26]  Lizzy Mercier-Descloux – “Funky Stuff” (‘Mambo Nassau,’ 1981)
14 [41:34]  Weekend – “Nostalgia” (‘La Varieté,’ 1982)

[Total Time: 45:18] Download here. 

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Volume Two (1979 - 1983)

01 [00:00]  Family Fodder – “Savoir Faire” (Monkey Banana Kitchen, 1980)
02 [02:23]  Au Pairs – “It’s Obvious” (Playing With a Different Sex, 1981)
03 [08:43]  Chris & Cosey – “This Is Me” (Heartbeat, 1981)
04 [11:42]  Plastics – “Back to Wigtown” (Origato Plastico, 1980)
05 [14:20]  Pylon – “Cool” (Cool/Dub 7″, 1979)
06 [17:18]  The Slits – “Love und Romance” (Cut, 1979)
07 [19:46]  Siouxsie & The Banshees – “Lunar Camel” (Kaleidoscope, 1980)
08 [22:43]  The B-52′s – “52 Girls” (The B-52′s, 1979)
09 [26:19]  Swamp Children – “Boy” (Little Voices EP, 1981)
10 [29:36]  Y Pants – “That’s The Way Boys Are” (Beat It Down, 1982)
11 [32:30]  Antena – “Camino Del Sol” (Camino Del Sol, 1982)
12 [36:15]  Vivien Goldman – “Launderette” (Launderette 7″, 1981)
13 [39:14]  Cocteau Twins – “But I’m Not” (Garlands, 1982)
14 [41:55]  Thick Pigeon – “Jess + Bart (Mix)” (Unreleased [Miranda Dali bonus], 1983)

[Total Time: 45:10] Download here.

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Volume 3 (1980 - 1983)

01 [00:00]  Creatures – “Miss The Girl” (Feast, 1983)
02 [02:27]  Eurythmics – “Sing-Sing” (In the Garden, 1981)
03 [06:30]  Phew – “Doze” (Phew, 1981)
04 [09:57]  E.S.G. – “Moody” (ESG EP, 1981)
05 [12:47]  Maximum Joy – “Searching for a Feeling” (Station M.X.J.Y., 1982)
06 [17:01]  Los Microwaves – “La Voix Humane” (Life After Breakfast, 1982)
07 [19:44]  Ludus – “My Cherry is in Sherry” (The Seduction, 1981)
08 [22:24]  Crash Course in Science – “Cardboard Lamb” (Signals from Pier Thirteen EP, 1981)
09 [24:57]  Grace Jones – “Nightclubbing” (Nightclubbing, 1981)
10 [29:57]  Lydia Lunch – “Gloomy Sunday” (Queen of Siam, 1980)
11 [32:46]  Marilyn & The Movie Stars – “So Disgraceful” (So Disgraceful EP, 1982)
12 [36:16]  Young Marble Giants – “Music for Evenings” (Colossal Youth, 1980)
13 [39:19]  The Pretenders – “Lovers of Today” (Pretenders, 1980)

[Total Time: 45:14] Download here.

A set of 3 female-centric, post-punk mixes from the Musicophilia blog. To quote:

In a way, it seems slightly odd to explore “the role of women in post-punk” because I don’t want to ghettoise or marginalise it–women were so central that there is none of the feeling of searching for exceptions to the rule here: many of the artists featured are Big Names, who’d make any top-40 list of Most Important Post-Punk Bands.  However, singling women out only illustrates their centrality: you could play these mixes for a post-punk neophyte, and they would come away with a good sense of the breadth and depth of the fertile era/ethos; but they might not even notice, if you didn’t point it out, that the mix focuses on women.

Full article here.

Thanks to Sian Williams.

Posted by Niall O'Conghaile
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02.22.2011
08:01 am
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Don’t call it Ambient: Optimo FACT 214 Mix
01.24.2011
05:12 pm
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If you enjoyed those slowed down versions of the Jurassic Park theme and Justin Beiber, and I know some of you did, I think you will like this mix by UK ‘s Optimo (Espacio). It’s a lovely, if slightly unsettling collection of beatless and atmospheric tracks, old and new. JD Twitch, one half of the influential Scottish DJ/production duo says:

I’d say this mix is beatless rather than ambient as a definition of ambient is ‘a background music without rhythmic elements’. That applies to some of the selections here but several of the tracks are definitely rhythmic in that they pulse or move forward without the need of a kick drum to propel them.

FACT mix 214 - Optimo (Jan ‘11) by factmag

Odd Machine – Phase In (edit)
Cindytalk – Our Shadow, Remembered
Alvo Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto – Morning
This Mortal Coil – Song To The Siren (JD Twitch Reversion)
Zoviet France – The Decriminalisation Of Country Music
Sun City Girls – Come Maddalena
Forest Swords – The Light
Oneohtrix Point Never – Young Beidnahga
No Man – Days In The Trees
Tomita – Clair De Lune
Conrad Schnitzler – Ballet Statique
Peter Baumann – This Day
Reichmann – Wunderbar
Duet Emmo – The First Person
Carol – So Low
Zoviet France – Vienna (extract)

This mix is available to download for another two weeks only. The full interview is here.

 

 

 

Posted by Niall O'Conghaile
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01.24.2011
05:12 pm
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