Musicophilia Blog (by that guy who did '1981') Updates Thread

Seems the upload for 'Volume 4' was down last night--I've re-upped, should work now.

I'm listening to the Complicity stuff now. It's mostly really, really good. It's been awhile since I appreciated music that sounds like this. It's funny I've had Aphex Twin's SAWII on my iPod for weeks waiting for the moment when I'll want to hear it again and I ended up just taking it off my iPod! But some of this Complicity stuff really fills a need. I like that you used the sound of rain...I heard something else like that recently that made me want to pull out THAT Cure song, but I didn't.

5th disc from the 1981 set is up:

http://musicophilia.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/00_1981-heart_1981_coversmall.jpg?w=500&h=500

1 9 8 1 | Heart

01 Cure, The - All Cats Are Grey [5:24]
02 Passions - Alice's Song [3:13]
03 Depeche Mode - Any Second Now (Voices) [2:35]
04 Durutti Column - The Missing Boy [6:38]
05 Costello, Elvis & The Attractions - Gloomy Sunday [3:15]
06 MX-80 - Promise of Love [4:40]
07 Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime (Edit) [3:22]
08 New Order - Doubts Even Here [4:20]
09 Shelley, Pete - It's Hard Enough Knowing (Edit) [2:50]
10 Sound, The - Winning [4:18]
11 Japan - Ghosts [4:34]
12 This Heat - A New Kind Of Water [5:02]
13 Raincoats - Only Loved At Night [3:30]
14 Gist - Love at First Sight [3:42]
15 Numan, Gary - Dance [2:45]
16 Psychedelic Furs - No Tears [3:16]
17 Gang of Four - Paralysed [3:23]
18 Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Romance Of The Telescope [3:19]
19 Ultravox - Rage In Eden [4:12]
20 Weekend - Nostalgia (Demo) [5:21]

One of the best in the set, with many of the strongest tracks of the year, in my opinion. Give a listen.

I'm listening to the Complicity stuff now. It's mostly really, really good. It's been awhile since I appreciated music that sounds like this. It's funny I've had Aphex Twin's SAWII on my iPod for weeks waiting for the moment when I'll want to hear it again and I ended up just taking it off my iPod! But some of this Complicity stuff really fills a need. I like that you used the sound of rain...I heard something else like that recently that made me want to pull out THAT Cure song, but I didn't.

Thanks a lot, Bimble. I'm glad you like it. The weird thing is, when I recorded it, I hadn't heard Aphex Twin (nor Tangerine Dream nor early Cluster. . .) so I'm not sure where to think it fits in.

I just listened to that Heart disc last week -- probably my favorite in terms of mix/flow on that 1981 set! Especially that you put the best-known Talking Heads track right there in the middle, instead of picking something more obscure. It's kind of like you can hear about a hundred different musical elements from 1981 coalesce triumphantly into that one song. Anyway, it made me hear "Once In A Lifetime" in a whole new way, which is saying something, since that song is pretty much inescapable.

Tyler--

I couldn't not include "Once in a Lifetime"--it's one of the few post-punk tracks I remember from my childhood, having a very strong emotional response to it (the video in particular). I was an odd kid, I guess, but as a kid, all I heard was a joyous feeling in it, obviously the satirical or critical elements, the "how is this my life, this is not what I expected" elements didn't reach me. And I still like to try to imagine it with a purely earnest spin, more seeing ones life and being astonished that one is surrounded by beauty. But you're right--it's pretty much got a lot of the best qualities of post-punk rolled up into one--sort of funny that I loved Talking Heads as a 13-17 year old, but never really had any inkling they were part of a broader picture. It still comes back to them for me, now that I've heard hundreds and hundreds of their compatriots. I'm glad the context made it feel new for you, that's everything I could hope for when I include things everyone already knows in mixes.

Thanks for the blog, Soundslike. I'm really enjoying the Tour Du Monde stuff in particular.

Glad you like it, Daniel. A third series, besides 'Le Tour du Monde' and 'Les Miniatures,' is about to be discovered from the Musique du Monde label from a few years later I hope you'll like. . .

Third mix of the heavy-mixing sort posted:

http://www.mediafire.com/?z0uz1wmwxjq

Various Artists - The Somnambulist (1908-2007)

01 [00:00 - 01:20] Reich, Steve - New York Counterpoint: Fast (1985)
02 [00:05 - 05:00] Hayward, Charles - Lopside (1990)
03 [00:05 - 06:35] Oliveros, Pauline - Big Mother is Watching You (1966)
04 [01:20 - 08:30] Young, LaMonte - Well Tuned Piano (1964)
05 [02:00 - 05:00] Eno, Brian - Drift (1983)
06 [02:25 - 06:10] Morricone, Ennio - Astrazione Con Ritmo (1973)
07 [03:30 - 06:00] Stockhausen, Karlhenz - Kontakte: Structur V (1959)
08 [03:30 - 06:10] Xenakis, Iannis - Metaux (1979)
09 [03:40 - 06:55] Deadbeat - Sunday Morning (2001)
10 [04:30 - 06:50] Hu Vibrational - Her Dream of Peace (2006)
11 [04:35 - 07:05] Ravel, Maurice - Ma Mere l'Oye: Le Jardin Feerique (1908)
12 [04:40 - 08:10] Cage, John - Sonata XIII (1947)
13 [04:55 - 11:45] Burning Star Core - Deaf-Mute Spinning Resonator (2006)
14 [05:25 - 12:20] Raajimakers, Dick - Ein Reiterstuck (1966)
15 [05:35 - 06:35] Drake, Nick - Sketch 1 (1967)
16 [05:45 - 06:50] Robb, JD - Collage (1970)
17 [06:30 - 09:30] Schulze, Klaus - Satz-Gewitter (1972)
18 [06:40 - 10:00] Davis, Miles - Rated X (1975)
19 [06:50 - 11:10] Einsturzende Neubauten - Ragout Kuchen Rezpt Von Einsturze (1998)
20 [07:00 - 12:45] Deuter - Atlantis (1971)
21 [07:55 - 14:40] Branca, Glenn - Harmonic Series Chords (1981)
22 [09:00 - 12:00] Morricone, Ennio - Ninna Nanna Per Adulteri (1969)
23 [09:15 - 15:10] Ferrari, Luc - Interrupteur (1967)
24 [09:50 - 16:25] Autechre - VI Scose Poise (2001)
25 [10:00 - 13:20] Neu! - Super 16 (1973)
26 [10:05 - 15:05] Cale, John - Wall (1970)
27 [10:30 - 15:20] Cluster - Hollywood (1975)
28 [11:10 - 18:15] Cage, John - Rozart Mix (1965)
29 [12:00 - 15:00] Lucier, Alvin - A Tribute to James Tenney, Part 4 (1986)
30 [12:45 - 25:40] Pauser, Erik & C.M. von Hauswolff - Phaus Eternal Love (1993)
31 [12:50 - 29:30] Menche, Daniel - Jugularis, Part 1 (2006)
32 [14:40 - 19:20] Morricone, Ennio - Fumeria D'Oppio (1981)
33 [14:50 - 19:30] Burial - Ghost Hardware (2007)
34 [15:15 - 19:45] Dockstader, Tod - Wire (2005)
35 [15:55 - 20:10] Stockhausen, Karlheinz - Kontakte: Struktur X (1959)
36 [16:20 - 22:05] Czukay, Holger - Canaxis (1969)
37 [17:40 - 20:30] Bhutan Tibetan Monks - Cross-Flute Folk Song (1971)
38 [18:00 - 22:10] Cage, John - Quietly Flowing Along (1950)
39 [18:50 - 21:45] Sharrock, Sonny - Blind Willy (1969)
40 [19:45 - 23:30] Defever, Warn - Jewel (2000)
41 [20:05 - 24:40] Battiato, Franco - Nel Cantiere Di Un Infanzia (1973)
42 [21:00 - 23:30] Pablo, Augustus & King Tubby - King Tubby's Meets Rockers Uptown (1975)
43 [21:30 - 28:00] Aksak Maboul - Masoul Alakefak (1979)
44 [22:00 - 30:20] Conrad, Tony & Faust - From the Side of the Machine (1972)
45 [22:15 - 31:40] Harrison, George - Under the Mersey Wall (1969)
46 [25:05 - 33:00] Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Co. - Cloudscape For Peggy (1970)
47 [25:45 - 30:55] Kraftwerk - Megahertz (1971)
48 [28:05 - 32:30] 23 Skidoo - Mahkala (1982)
49 [28:30 - 31:50] Dockstader, Tod - Bottom (2005)
50 [29:00 - 34:30] King Crimson - Trio (1974)
51 [29:10 - 33:45] Soundslike - Ghost Sketch (2007)
52 [30:10 - 34:05] Bhutan Tibetan Monks - Dramnyen Choshe (1971)
53 [30:25 - 35:30] Funkstorung - Mind the Gap (2000)
54 [30:20 - 36:10] Chatham, Rhys - Two Gongs (1971)
55 [32:00 - 35:00] Peruvian Folk Musicians - Mauca Zapotoyke (1969)
56 [32:15 - 38:25] Oliveros, Pauline - Bye Bye Butterfly (1965)
57 [33:30 - 38:20] Agitation Free - Ala Tul (1972)
58 [33:55 - 38:50] Sanders, Pharoah - Red, Black & Green (1971)
59 [35:30 - 41:10] Bryars, Gavin - Sub Rosa (1986)
60 [36:15 - 40:55] Tortoise - Blue Station (2001)
61 [37:20 - 39:30] Otis, Shuggie - Freedom Flight (1971)
62 [38:45 - 41:50] Huun Huur Tu - Harmonics in the Wind (1999)

This one is for the ghost-hunters and sound-as-music geeks. That's not to say it's uneasy listening. . .

Musicophilia

Cover for that last one:

http://musicophilia.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/00_various_-_the-somnambulist_1908-2007_coversmall.jpg?w=500&h=500

The sixth '1981' mix went up yesterday:

http://musicophilia.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/1981_individual-mixes_cassettesmall.jpg?w=500&h=500

[b]1 9 8 1 | Cassette[b]

01 Clean, The - Billy Two [2:22]
02 Fall, The - Lie Dream of a Casino Soul [3:09]
03 Dow Jones & The Industrials - Ladies With Appliances [2:22]
04 Ludus - Mutilate [2:33]
05 Nervous Gender - Fat Cow [2:37]
06 49 Americans - Love at first sight [1:23]
07 Plasticland - Office Skills [1:43]
08 Beakers, The - Four Steps Toward A Cultural Revolution [1:29]
09 Felt - Something Sends Me to Sleep [2:54]
10 Work - Duty [1:02]
11 Fall of Saigon - Blue Eyes [2:00]
12 Blackouts, The - Dead Man’s Curve [3:26]
13 Scapa Flow - Somewhere [2:41]
14 Dancing Cigarettes - Mr Morse [1:23]
15 Amoebas In Chaos - Designer Genes [1:28]
16 Tall Dwarfs - All My Hollowness to You [2:20]
17 Monitor - Amphibious [3:04]
18 Dolphins - She Took a Long Cold Look [1:20]
19 Blue Orchids - Bad Education [2:28]
20 Watt, Ben - Departure [1:34]
21 Neonbabies - Profi [Edit] [3:20]
22 Voice Farm - AM City [Edit] [1:31]
23 Laughing Apple - Wouldn’t You [2:16]
24 Social Climbers - Hello Texas [2:09]
25 Der Plan - Das Insekt [1:30]
26 Biting Tongues - Reflector [2:40]
27 Flux of Pink Indians - Sick Butchers [2:27]
28 Aztec Camera - Lost Outside The Tunnel [3:29]
29 Diagram Brothers - Bricks [2:43]
30 Human Switchboard - I Used to Believe in You [3:56]
31 Half Japanese - My Knowledge Was Wrong [0:55]
32 Television Personalities - This Angry Silence [2:38]
33 Philosophic Collage - Toxic Poppies [1:32]
34 Violent Femmes - Waiting For The Bus [Demo] [2:07]
35 Thick Pigeon - Silhouettes [3:23]

Three more to go!

Musicophilia

i love you

Do I know you?

Haha beautiful goth sleeve for the Somnambulist! AWESOME. ;)

Okay finally found the link for the Somnabulist 3 mix. My god you don't make it easy!

like, in real life?

I don't know what you mean by that. Sorry.

i wasn't talking to you, bimble.

but i love you, too

Haha okay sorry. Kate Bush fans need to stick together, anyway. :)

also you should love me for posting that cocteau twins video that you jizzed all over

This has gone south quickly. . .

Not in real life--at all?

i bought the 1981 set from you when it came out. you've spoken to me upthread and in the 1981 thread. i've been on ILX for a long time. i don't understand your question, really.

what would knowing me entail?

Sorry, no big deal. Just thought given your upthread comment re: Bimble etc., I didn't know what to make of your next comment. Ah, internet communication.

I'm listening to 1981 Cassette right now. I've heard of half the bands, and maybe not heard any of the songs before. It amazes me that there is always so much more to hear, even in areas I'm familiar with. thanks.

Is the one called Der Plan - Das Insekt a cover version? It seemed familiar.

James--

Hmm-- not being German nor a deep expert in DNW, I'm not sure, but I didn't think so. It does sort of sound like a children's song, though, from some sort of nature program : )

Making the '1981' box was a years-long exploration of exactly that endlessness you're describing. When I started culling the mix, I probably only knew 3/4ths of what eventually ended up in the box, maybe 1/2 or less of what was in the 'Briefcase' appendix mp3 disc--spent nearly two years buying almost exclusively post-punk, which had already been a fixture for a while. And the year 1981 in particular is truly never ending, and I didn't even try to cover disco, electro-disco, hi-NRG, hip-hop, etc. with the box. Even though I sort of burnt out on post-punk a little, to this day, without trying (indeed almost avoiding the stuff) I still discover something else from '81 almost every week or two.

Went over 2,500 downloads yesterday, very cool. Thanks everyone for listening!

everyone loves the 1981 guy

still got my copy beside me

dude gets all weird when you tell him you love him

: )

Love the music, not me ; )

That Somnambulist mix looks fantastic - both tracklist & sleeve. Will download when home..

Hope you like it, Willem. Those sort of mixes are my personal faves, the ones I most enjoy doing--I guess they're the closest to an actually creative act on my part, more expressive. But unsurprisingly, they're the least popular/downloaded.

Got one I think has turned out really great that's a little less dense, that's going to be part of a blog-post-swap between me and Andrew M. aka Ettiem at his Gris Gris On Your Doorstep blog (which everyone should be checking out). It's a really spooky, sort of story-telling thing.

Happy New Year, everyone! Thanks to everybody checking out these mixes, and I hope you'll stick with me, got over a dozen new mixes in the works that I'm really excited about.

Here's a quick 2008 (um, and 2007) look back, saying goodbye to the last eight. . .

http://musicophilia.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/various_-_get-off-my-lawn-2008_2008_coversmall.jpg?w=500&h=500

Various - Get Off My Lawn, 2008, And You Too, 2007!
A Curmudgeon’s Guide to Fun During the Apocalypse

Part 1
01 [00:00] Matt Anders - “Are You Afraid To Die” (Unreleased, 2008)
02 [03:07] Ayatollah - “Charlie Is Brown” (Louder, 2008)
03 [05:03] Erykah Badu - “The Healer” (New Amerykah Part One, 2008)
04 [09:05] Idol Fodder - “Analyse My Life” (Babytalk, 2007)
05 [12:06] Re-Up Gang - “Money” (Clipse Presents: Re-Up Gang, 2008)
06 [15:32] Retribution Gospel Choir - “Easy Prey” (Retribution Gospel Choir, 2008)
07 [17:48] Matmos - “Polychords” (Supreme Balloon, 2008)
08 [21:12] Glass Candy - “Rolling Down the Hills” (Beat Box, 2007)
09 [24:24] Burial - “Archangel” (Untrue, 2007)
10 [28:06] Portishead - “The Rip” (3, 2008)

Part 2
11 [00:00] J-Dilla - “Say It” (Jay Loves Japan, 2008)
12 [02:50] Caribou - “Sundialing” (Andorra, 2007)
13 [07:13] Gnarls Barkley - “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul” (The Odd Couple, 2008)
14 [10:21] Tauchsieder - “Clubbed” (Louder, 2007)
15 [13:55] Spiritualized - “Death Take Your Fiddle” (Songs in A&E, 2008)
16 [16:52] Voodoo Economics - “”What if Those Heavy Things. . .” (If : Then :: Iminami, 2007)
17 [19:39] The Roots - “Get Busy” (Rising Down, 2008)
18 [23:09] Robert Wyatt - “Stay Tuned” (Comicopra, 2007)
19 [26:48] Radiohead - “4 Minute Warning” (In Rainbows, Part 2, 2007)

[Total Time: 63:01]

Musicophilia

First mix of the new year starting the year off on a mellow note (but with more ambitious things are soon to come).

http://musicophilia.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/miniatures-lullabies-no-1.jpg?w=500&h=500

Various - Miniatures : Lullaby No. 1 (1957-2004)

01 [00:00] Nick Drake - "Horn" (1972)
02 [01:19] Jeremy Enigk - "Lewis Hollow" (1996)
03 [03:13] Björk - "Show Me Forgiveness" (2004)
04 [04:33] Sylvie Courvoisier - "Turoine" (2003)
05 [05:30] Felt - "Red Indians" (1984)
06 [07:24] Burmese Choir - "Kukburi Sifoa" (1974)
07 [08:36] Low - "Try Try Try" (1995)
08 [09:07] Bob Dylan - "Man On the Street" (1964)
09 [10:59] Big Star - "Blue Moon" (1976)
10 [12:59] Leo Kottke - "The Driving of the Year" (1971)
11 [14:53] Modern Lovers - "Don't Let Our Youth Go to Waste" (1972)
12 [16:29] Moondog - "Sextet" (1957)
13 [17:57] Bahaman Folk Musicians - "I Told You People Judgement Coming" (1965)
14 [18:48] Syd Barrett - "She Took a Long Cold Look" (1970)
15 [20:36] Willie Nelson - "Minuet in G" (1975)
16 [21:10] Can - "Ethnological Forgery Series, No. 8" (1975)
17 [22:45] Mark Kozelek - "Love Hungry Man" (2001)
18 [24:23] Saka Acquaye - "Kenya Sunset" (1969)
19 [25:52] Tyrannosaurus Rex - "The Misty Coast of Albany" (1969)
20 [27:20] Bali Gamelan - "Tjatrik II" (1969)
21 [28:27] Cat Power - "I Found a Reason" (2000)

[Total Time: 30:28]

Musicophilia

Musicophilia's biggest mix yet went up today:

http://musicophilia.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/small_vol00.jpg?w=500&h=500 http://musicophilia.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/composite_vol1-4_small.jpg?w=500&h=500

Various Artists - 'Le Meilleur de Les Rythmes du Monde'
(4xLP Box Set, Musique du Monde, France - 1981)

Volume One

A1 [00:00] TELEX - "Moskow Diskow" (Looking for Saint Tropez, 1978) Belgium
A2 [04:40] Giorgio MORODER - "From Here to Eternity" (From Here to Eternity, 1977) Italy
A3 [09:35] Moon BIRDS - "Crystal No. 3" (Cosmic No. 1, 1977) France
A4 [12:10] John FOXX - "Plaza" (Metamatic, 1980) England
A5 [15:35] Three DEGREES - "Set Me Free" (3D, 1979) USA
A6 [19:35] Mr. PARTRIDGE - "The Forgotten Language of Light" (Take Away/The Lure of Salvage, 1980) England
A7 [22:50] Geoff BASTOW - "Communique" (The Video Age, 1980) Belgium

B1 [00:00] Brian ENO - "Untitled" (Unreleased, 1979) England
B2 [02:00] Space ART - "Welcome to Love" (Play Back, 1980) France
B3 [08:15] DROIDS - "Shanti Part I" (Star Peace, 1978) France
B4 [10:50] Yellow MAGIC ORCHESTRA - "Firecracker" (Yellow Magic Orchestra, 1978) Japan
B5 [15:10] PRINCE - "Sexy Dancer" (Prince, 1979) USA
B6 [19:10] CAN - "Safe" (Can, 1978) Germany

[Total Time: 50:20]

Volume Two

C1 [00:00] Hot R.S. - "In a Gadda Da Vida" (Forbidden Fruit, 1978) South Africa
C2 [05:10] Patrick COWLEY - "Megatron Man" (Megatron Man, 1981) USA
C3 [09:25] Roland BOCQUET - "Dancing" (Unreleased, 1981) France
C4 [13:30] Essendon AIRPORT - "How Low Can You Go?" (Sonic Investigations of the Trivial, 1979) Australia
C5 [15:55] KRAFTWERK - "Spacelab" (The Man-Machine, 1978) Germany
C6 [20:50] Donna SUMMER - "Our Love" (Bad Girls, 1979) USA

D1 [00:00] Jean-Phillippe GOUDE - "Machine" (Drones, 1980) France
D2 [03:50] This HEAT - "24-Track Loop" (This Heat, 1979) England
D3 [07:45] LIME - "You're My Magician" (Your Love, 1981) Canada
D4 [13:00] SPARKS - "Tryouts For the Human Race" (No. 1 in Heaven, 1979) USA
D5 [18:05] LEDA - "Endless Race" (Welcome to Joyland, 1978) Germany
D6 [21:00] SUICIDE - "Cheree" (Suicide, 1977) USA

[Total Time: 49:50]

Volume Three

E1 [00:00] Gary NUMAN - "Everyday I Die" (Tubeway Army, 1978) England
E2 [02:00] Grace JONES - "Pull Up To The Bumper" (Nightclubbing, 1981) Jamaica
E3 [06:20] Haruomi HOSONO & Tadanori YOKOO - "Malabar Hotel, Upper Floor, Moving Triangle" (Cochin Moon, 1978) Japan
E4 [10:25] HELDON - "Les Soucoupes Volantes Vertes" (Interface 1978) France
E5 [12:05] Loose JOINTS - "Is It All Over My Face" (Is It All Over My Face, 1980) USA
E6 [16:30] Liaisons DANGEREUSES - "Peut Etre . . . Pas" (Liaisons Dangereuses, 1981) Germany
E7 [19:45] Munich MACHINE - "A Whiter Shade of Pale" (A Whiter Shade of Pale, 1978) Italy

F1 [00:00] FUNKADELIC - "One Nation Under a Groove" (One Nation Under a Groove, 1978) USA
F2 [06:00] League UNLIMITED ORCHESTRA - "Don't You Want Me" (Unreleased, 1981) England
F3 [09:50] Black DEVIL - "No Regrets" (Disco Club, 1978) France
F4 [14:00] Electronic SYSTEM - "Time Trip" (Disco Machine, 1977) Belgium
F5 [18:15] Dee D. JACKSON - "Automatic Lover" (Cosmic Curves, 1978) Italy
F6 [21:45] Trevor BASTOW - "Better Ways" (The Video Age, 1980) Belgium

[Total Time: 50:00]

Volume Four

G1 [00:00] Depeche MODE - "I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead" (Speak & Spell, 1981) England
G2 [02:00] CHROMIUM - "Beam On" (Star to Star, 1979) USA
G3 [07:05] Ryuichi SAKAMOTO - "Riot in Lagos" (B-2 Unit, 1980) Japan
G4 [10:20] TRANSVOLTA - "Disco Computer" (Disco Computer 7", 1979) Belgium
G5 [13:20] Gina X PERFORMANCE - "Nice Mover" (Nice Mover, 1979) Germany
G6 [17:35] Marvin GAYE - "Time To Get It Together" (Here, My Dear, 1978) USA
G7 [20:30] British ELECTRONIC FOUNDATION - "Groove Thang" (Music for Listening To, 1981) England

H1 [00:00] INDUSTRY - "Ready for the Wave" (Industry EP, 1980) USA
H2 [03:25] Akira SAKATA - "Panco" (Tenoch Sakana, 1980) Japan
H3 [06:05] Venus GANG - "Love To Fly" (Galactic Soul, 1978) France
H4 [09:20] BOHANNON - "Listen to the Children Play" (Summertime Groove, 1978) USA
H5 [13:30] Francis RIMBERT - "Games" (Bionic Orchestra, 1979) France
H6 [15:15] ZODIAC - "Zodiac" (Disco Alliance, 1980) USSR
H7 [18:40] Aksak MABOUL - "Saure Gurke" (Onze Danses Pour Combattre la Migraine, 1977) Belgium
H8 [19:45] Giorgio MORODER - "I Wanna Rock You" (E=MC2, 1979) Italy

[Total Time: 50:05]

Rough Translation, Back Cover:
"Through the years, Musique du Monde has brought you the cutting edge of listening pleasure. And now, we are proud to present to the general public some of the most amazing sounds from the previously only privately-issued 'Les Rythmes du Monde' series. We continue our tradition of finding you the very best of new music from around the globe, seeking sounds that speak the universal language. Here you will find the pounding rhythms of the discotheque, love songs for fantastic robots, a new electronic era of sexy cosmic fun. Its happening in France, in Italy, in Germany, the United States, Belgium, Japan, South Africa, and have no doubt, in outer-space. This is the sound of the future, but it reaches to the very soul of life, to the elemental rythm of the heart. Switch it on, plug yourself in, and let everything go: become part of the collective music. This is the very best of 'Les Rythmes du Monde'."

Reissue Notes:
The Musicophilia reissue program is proud to present a major missing piece the history of the Musique du Monde label's golden age: 1981's four-LP box set, 'Le Meilleur de Les Rythmes du Monde'. This set was a 'best of' collection released (in limited quantities) to the public culled from the privately issued and distributed 'Les Rythmes du Monde' set. So far, none of the individual records from that almost mythic series has been unearthed; like other private releases from Musique, it was shipped direct only to a who's-who of music taste-making cognoscenti. It is rumored that Monsieur Jan Marine (one of the founders of Musique du Monde and the label's primary mixer and song-finder for their various compilation series) went to the U.S. and trained in the then-nascent art of beat-matched DJing with Larry Levan, Frankie Knuckles, and even Francis Grasso during the mid-70s, in preparation for the label's forays into disco. 'Les Rythmes du Monde,' especially the later volumes from which this 'Best Of' is believed to be culled, brought Musique into new territory for the public ear. But the territory heard here is heavily rooted in the funk, soul, pop, tropicalia, proto-punk, dub, musique concrete, sound library LPs and early electronics that were the focus of earlier 'Le Tour du Monde' and 'Les Miniatures' discs. 'Les Rythmes' was the label's natural extension, and taken together with their work over the previous decade plus, one almost has an "alternate history" of pop music—the history that should have been, or that was, if you knew where to point your ears. So we welcome you to this world of fuzzy electronics, four-on-the-floor beats, floating robot voices, cosmic space-ship chases, and glorious dancefloor hedonism that would itself go on to become the foundation forthe next thirty years of discotheque sound. The graphic design of the record sleeves may be dated and passe, but the sounds found within these sleeves remains as relevant and essential today as ever.
— I. Sonnecomme, January 2009

Musicophilia

Seems to have been another spate of files going down, but they all seem to be back online now. If anyone sees one down, please let me know.

Posted a year-end list of sorts: Top Couple-Dozen Non-2008 Discoveries of 2008.

Just in case you really love end-of-year lists.

Also, all files seem to be down at the moment. . . fingers crossed. . .

Everything is back up, re-uploaded Volume 4 of the new 'Les Rythmes du Monde' mixes, if anyone was having trouble downloading that one earlier.

Also, a bit of a discussion going on the ethics of mp3/mix-blogging going, love to hear from you guys.

Second 'Miniatures : Lullaby' mix just upped:

http://musicophilia.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/miniatures-lullaby-no-2.jpg?w=500&h=500

Various - Miniatures : Lullaby No. 2 (1903-2004)

01 [00:00] John Cage - "Six Melodies for Violin & Harp, No. 5" (1950)
02 [01:34] Astrud Gilberto - "Manha de Carnaval" (1965)
03 [03:28] Colin Newman - "Alone on Piano" (1981)
04 [05:21] Mike Redmann - "Sandwich Knife" (2005)
05 [06:38] Shaggs - "Wheels" (1975)
06 [07:54] Tom Waits - "Just Another Sucker on the Vine" (1983)
07 [09:35] Peruvian Folk Musicians - "Torallay Toro" (1969)
08 [11:25] Soundslike - "First Snow Since We Were Six" (1999)
09 [12:58] Hank Williams - "Ready to Go Home" (1952)
10 [14:44] Valerie Walker - "When I Was in Colón" (1973)
11 [15:55] Built to Spill - "Twin Falls" (1994)
12 [17:45] Sam Phillips - "Hole in My Pocket" (2004)
13 [19:02] Neil Young - "Organ Solo" (1996)
14 [20:31] Vashti Bunyan - "Hebridean Sun" (1970)
15 [21:42] Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd - "Desafinado" (1962)
16 [23:41] Penguin Cafe Orchestra - "Harmonic Necklace" (1981)
17 [24:54] Ravel - "Ma Mere l Oye, No. 1 - Pavane" (1903)
18 [26:20] John Fahey - "Bicycle Built for Two" (1966)
19 [27:28] Uncle Tupelo - "I Wish My Baby Was Born" (1992)
20 [29:04] The Zombies - "The Way I Feel Inside" (1964)

[Total Time: 30:44]

Musicophilia

First mix of a new post-punk series focusing on music made by women up today:

http://musicophilia.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/the-young-ladys-post-punk-handbook-volume-1.jpg?w=500&h=500

Various - The Young Lady's Post-Punk Handbook, 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]

Musicophilia

ha, awesome artwork

Thanks, cutty. No real reason for the Victorian approach other than pretty obvious irony--and that it's a lot of fun to do in InDesign. Gotta love their audacious use of typefaces-by-the-dozen, and gold-leaf like it's going out of style. . .

Hope you like the mix, too.

Seconded on the artwork props. That's fantastic: not a trick missed. Look forward to listening, too.

Thanks, Grimly. I'd just spent the day walking around looking at Victorian cast iron buildings of the 1880s, so I guess I had their tricks on the brain.

The next volume in 'The Young Lady's Post-Punk Handbook' is now up:

http://musicophilia.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/the-young-ladys-post-punk-handbook-volume-2.jpg?w=500&h=500

Various - The Young Lady's Post-Punk Handbook, Volume 2 (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]

Musicophilia

Also--planning on putting up another '1981' mix in the next week or two--anybody have a preference between 'Computer' and 'Fire'? I think I'll end with the 'Icicle' disc.

fire sounds fine with me. i suppose there'll be some gun club on that one, or not?

You would sort of think so--but it looks like they ended up on the 'Icicle' disc.

The third and final (for now) volume of 'The Young Lady's Post-Punk Handbook' is up:

http://musicophilia.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/the-young-ladys-post-punk-handbook-volume-3.jpg?w=500&h=500

Various - The Young Lady's Post-Punk Handbook, 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]

Musicophilia