Shelter Me

Out today on Paisley Dark is this eighteen track compilation Shelter Me- In Crisis, an album released to raise funds for the charity of the same name that aims to tackle the problem of homelessness. Paisley Dark is based in Leeds- if Leeds is anything like Manchester homelessness is an issue that seems to have reached crisis proportions. We live four miles south of the city centre in a residential, fairly leafy suburb- there are people living in tents in the corner of a site that has been cleared for renovation, for a while someone was living on a roundabout and there have been living out of tents in the woodlands down by the Mersey. In the city centre there is a community of scores of men living in the arcade by the town hall. This seems to be an issue that people just accept, yet another aspect of modern life where we seem to have reversed and where our politicians shrug and make excuses. The current government don't seem to care at all and have pursued policies that have made the situation worse and worse. 

There are eighteen different artists on the album, many of whom have been featured here in recent years- John Paynter has pulled in an all star cast and an A grade track selection for Shelter Me- In Crisis. Tronik Youth, Duncan Gray, Al Mackenzie, Cosmikuro, Hogt I Tak, Hunterbrau, James Rod, Ian Vale, Jezebell, Mr BC, Tecwaa, Warriors Of The Dystotheque and Joe Duggan (an Ed Mahon remix of their wonderful 2023 single Fitzroy Avenue), Shunt Voltage, Stylic and Keith Forrester and Mindbender have all graced these pages before and will do so again. All proceeds from the sales of the album will go directly to Shelter Me. You can buy it here. Not just good music but a purchase that will do some social good. 

Tronik Youth's Dance With Me is five and a half minutes of urgent, propulsive, cowbell laden acid house with a massively distorted vocal shouting, 'dance with me!' 

Al Mackenzie's A Morning On The Chase and Tecwaa's Whippy are at Soundcloud. Al Mackenzie's is a slinky slow burning chug. Tecwaa's Whippy is faster and darker, with rattling rim shots and a distant female vocal in the breakdown before everything goes strobe lit at three minutes. 

Duncan Gray's The Remote Control Thief is yet another top class Duncan Gray track, a buzzing synth bassline, dark house groove and acidic topline coming together beautifully. 

Mostly Remixes

Matt Gunn's album Mostly Fiction came out earlier this year, ten tracks of electronic goodness that closes with the rippling, bleepy, ambient euphoria of Learning Through Loops. 

The first of a set of remix EPs came out at the start of the month- Mostly Remixed 1 features a pair of remixes, the first an Al Mackenzie remix of Learning Through Loops and the second a Matt Gunn remix of the epic Space Drohne. Al hits the button marked 'thumper', the drums kicking in from the off with blasts of synth, rumbling bass, rattling percussion, rising chords and eventually sirens and melodica- a widescreen/ sci fi/ house remix that make rainy summer days feel good. Find it at Bandcamp. 

Play it alongside this for maximum fun- Bass- The Final Frontier (David Holmes remix), one of 2023's best remixes so far, a seven minute David Holmes remix of Jo Sims, one of four songs from an EP that came out on Pamela records in July. I wrote about the EP at Ban Ban Ton Ton last month.  

Matt's remix of Space Drohne, the Floor Mix, is eight minutes of action in a similar sphere, drum machines, space synths, rave synths, breakbeats, synth arpeggios, synth bass, the machinery of Behringer, Roland and Moog in full effect. 

Al Mackenzie is a member of D: Ream and also puts out work under his own name. His latest release, a two track EP called Hold Your Own, came out on Field Of Dreams at the start of August. Get it here. The title track is my pick of the pair, nine minutes of thumpy, wiggy acid house. Music that sounds good in the dark. 

Download all the above and stick them all together in one playlist/ on one CD for maximum enjoyment, a late summer mixtape. 

Things

These pigs live in the field next to the cemetery Isaac is buried in. When we go to see Isaac it always cheers me to see the pigs scurrying around. One time we went last year, the pigs had escaped and were snuffling all over the place. They now live behind more secure fencing but still bring joy. 

About twenty years ago I had a colleague in the same department who was much older than me (he was probably about the age I am now). One Friday afternoon we were crossing the yard at school coming towards each other, rain driving in sideways and wind whipping around us. We were both trying not to lose what we were carrying while holding our coats to shield us from Lancashire's weather. As he came towards me, in his broad East Lancs accent, he shouted, 'In the words of the prophet, thank fuck that's over'. It has been one of those weeks at work this week too, so to echo my former colleague, thank fuck that's over.

One of the recent highlights of the 1994 Top Of The Pops repeats has been seeing D: Ream performing Things Can Only Get Better, a song not served well by subsequent events. Things Can Only Get Better is a million selling, massive hit single that soundtracked Tony Blair's rise to power, tainted by its association with New Labour- I'm reclaiming it. In autumn and winter 93 and into 94 it was everywhere, played in clubs and bars, shamelessly good time pop- house. Peter Cunnah was a great frontman. Around this time I had some very fetching checked trousers not dissimilar from the ones he's wearing below (although I baulked at the full suit). The band look great, professor Brian Cox plays keys, the female sax player is fantastic, everyone's breathlessly happy. By January they were at number one on Top Of The Pops. 

There- feel better now?

D: Ream still exist. Peter and Al MacKenzie have a considerably lower profile now than they did thirty years ago but they're still making good electronic dance music. Last year's single Pedestal was an end of year highlight and came with a remix package that included Drop Out Orchestra and Jezebell. 

Jezebell's Dizzy Heights Remix is a seven minute warm bath of Balearic bliss, treated acoustic guitars and chiming melody lines, a melodica winding its way through the song and hushed vocals just within earshot. Al MacKenzie released a tribute to Andrew Weatherall last year, the magnificent, languid Sail On, a seven minute odyssey built around a descending synth part, some throbbing sequencers and a lot of emotion. It too has been remixed, a pair of remixes that came out last month courtesy of Matt Gunn and Sven Kossler. Get them here. 

Monday's Long Song

Al MacKenzie is one half of Field Of Dreams (along with Chris Kentish), a Birmingham based duo who make music and put on club nights. Al has written and recorded a seven minute tribute to Andrew Weatherall, who supported their music, played at their nights and remixed their 2018 single Nothing Is Perfect. Sail On is a gorgeous way to spend seven minutes with synths bobbing about, a throbbing sequencer line, chuggy drums, a nod to Smokebelch, and eventually voice singing 'sail on' and a lovely wandering piano. It finshes with a horn and the sound of waves crashing on a beach. You can get it here, free or pay what you want (any monies raised are going to a charity for the homeless in Birmingham). Sail On is, I think you'll agree, rather lovely way to start the week.

Back in March Field Of Dreams released a single with a slew of accompanying remixes, the chunky, spine tingling, acidic, dancefloor monster You Feed Me. 

The remixes are well worth hanging around for with Bagging Area favourites Rude Audio and Justin Robertson on board. Rude Audio's remix is a sticky, sweltering version and with the bassline pushed up front has a New Order- esque feel.

Justin Robertson's Deadstock 33s remix slows things down, cowbell and whooshes, a bit of darkness on the dancefloor. 

The full package- original mix, instrumental and edited versions plus the remixes above and another from Joey T- can be found at Bandcamp.