This week's Monday Long Song was by Joy Zipper. Their song Check Out My New Jesus, a woozy ode to drugs/ sex, sparked some conversation among readers. For quite a few people the first time they heard the song and the band was on a free CD given away with the 17th June 2000 edition of the NME. The CD, London Xpress, is a contender for best ever freebie magazine CD. The internet tells me that the NME cover star that week was Richard Ashcroft, a feature where he faced readers questions including 'has all that acid fucked you up?', 'any dieting tips?' and 'what's the latest you've stayed up?'. Also featured in that week's NME were Graham Coxon, Bloodhound Gang, Bon Jovi and Deftones. None of these people should concern us right now, some of them ever, we are here solely for the free cover mount CD.
London Xpress was done with the record label Nuphonic and featured three guest DJs providing three mixes of various artists. The DJs were Andrew Weatherall, Harvey and David Holmes- that's quite a line up. On the CD the different tracks were available as individual tracks although all three DJs had mixed their selections. The three files below are the three sets as one mixed file.
London Xpress Andrew Weatherall
Andrew opens the CD with a typically eclectic and downtempo/ electro set. Stuttering, minimal, lo fi, dirty sounds that build into something quite frenetic and funky, a fair reflection of where Andrew's head was at that point given the Two Lone Swordsmen releases from the period. He finishes with German badn Lali Puna who Andrew and fellow Swordsman Keith Tenniswood were obsessed with, various remix exchanges taking place between TLS, Radioactive Man and Lali Puna. Andrew's selections here are first rate, the work of an inveterate record buyer and sound seeker.
- Plaid: Tophapy
- Burnt Friedman & The Nu Dub Players: Hard Drive Dub
- John Tejlda: Daydreaming Disaster
- Steve Stoll: Supernatural (You're So)
- 7 Hurtz: Stockers Motor
- Lali Puna: Everywhere All Over
Harvey starts out all Balearic and laid back, Plaid making their second appearance on the CD, surf guitar and fluttering electronics. He brings the breaks in and the poolside/ sunshine sounds, a contrast to Andrew's much more urban set. Very nicely done.
- Plaid: Ralome
- Addvibe: Love And Happiness
- Forme: Morfe
- ADNY: Tell Me
- Amalgamation Of Soundz: Salsin
Possibly though, the best is saved for last- David Holmes' set is a journey in twenty five minutes, staring out with sweet sounding psyche with children talking about who God is, where he is and what he can do as organ and ba ba baa backing vox flow behind them. Then Joy Zipper's laid flat, woozy song, two slices fro David's about to be released album Bow Dow To The Exit Sign and then more scuzzy lounge funk and Ella Fitzgerald concluding with her cover of Sunshine Of Your Love. Stunning.
- Family Of God: Family Of God
- Joy Zipper: Check Out My New Jesus
- David Holmes: Commercial Break
- David Holmes: Hey Lisa
- Keith Mansfield: Morning Broadway
- Gian Piero Riverberi: Cat Casanova
- Hot Butter: Getting Off
- Ella Fitzgerald: Sunshine Of Your Love
Tonight we are celebrating Eliza's 21st birthday-her actual birthday isn't until next weekend but she's away at a festival in Anglesey next weekend, so the party is tonight at a venue in Altrincham. It should be quite the do.
An exceptional mix to get as a freebie, my over NME favourite is the rather excellent Fatboy Slim mixtape Beat Up The NME. Happy Birthday to Eliza, have a fun night.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jake- sore heads today but a great night was had.
ReplyDeleteThanks Adam, never saw/heard these, mighty listenings. I wrote/co-invented the sleevenotes and a good bit more with Burnt Friedman's Nu Dub Players when he was our annual flatmate. One of my favourite pieces of writing and as was often the case then I foolishly did it under an impenetrable alias. Doh!
ReplyDeleteThat's another missing piece of a never ending jigsaw slotted into place Stinky Jim.
ReplyDelete