The History of Detroit Techno

Detroit Techno 1981 - 1991

Since I couldn't find a decent compilation of strictly old school Detroit techno, I made my own.

Spirit of Relaxation CD3 - Ocean Surf

The third and final in the Spirit of Relaxation Series. These are good but it's not just ocean sounds it's ocean sound + synthesisers. What more could you ask for?

Dolphins and Whales

Spirit of Relaxation CD2 - Dolphins and Whales

Just to warn you that this does contain ambient synthesiser noises as well as our watery friends. This makes it brilliant and my favourite of this box set.

The Spirit of Relaxation

Spirit of Relaxation CD1 - Rainforest

People living in the 90s had it tough and the only way to sort your self out was to listen to a tree playing a synthesiser. This box set contains three CDs and according to the blurb on the back:

"Life in the 90s, as we reach the new millennium, could not be more stressful. The Spirit of.... series will sooth, heal and regenerate your mind, body and soul. You will feel refreshed and better equipped to deal with all aspects of your life on this planet."

This first CD is different from a previous rainforest album that I've posted before but is similar in sound. It is 39 minutes of bird noises, streams and gentle synthesisers. I'll post the other two CDs in the near future.

I Want To Die Like Jesus Christ

60 Minutes of Jangle Pop - A Faceplant Mixtape
The missing link between Post Punk and Shoegazing is Jangle Pop. Indie music is hard to subdivide into categories since it is such a dodgy label to begin with. With hindsight I think certain bands from the late eighties and early nineties share a certain jingle jangle sound that comes from the equipment they used and the way their records were produced. According to Wikipedia, Jangle Pop was all about bands emulating the sound of the Byrds but as far as I can tell it had sod all to do with them and was more a continuation of punk under the shadow of 80s industrial decline.

I've tried to encapsulate that jingle jangle sound in the songs I've squashed together. It's a bit like an indie disco run by leather clad shuffling amateurs with sub goth frissy hair. Brilliant!

More Jangle Pop can be found here: Jangle Pop Boutique or Take The Pills!

Future Funk Phenomena from the Past

Mixmag Presents Planet Progressive Mised by Cass

1) Bad Company – Coma
2) Yunus – Nefes
3) Sound 5 - The Hacienda Must Be Rebuilt (Soul Mekanik Re-Edit)
4) Ben Shaw - So Strong (Sander Kleinenberg Mix)
5) Electroliners - Loose Caboose
6) Science Department - Breathe (Danny Howells Drifting Dub)
7) Jimmy Van M & Young American Primitive - Forget Time (Dub Mix)
8) Pollon - Lonely Planet
9) Loafer – Travelog
10) 2B - Trust Ur Receiver
11) Evolution - Crocodile Man

Free with Mixmag in 2001. On the inside sleeve it says:
What exactly is progressive? Is it a form of trance? Is it an offshoot of house? Or is it a deep tribal sound? Look up 'progressive' in the dictionary and you'll find that it means 'moving forward', 'modern' and 'without strict discipline'. And that's what this mix CD is all about. Cass (half of much vaunted production duo Cass & Slide) has put together a forward thinking collection that swaggers between genres with ease and reflects the scope of music you'll hear him play in his DJ sets all over the world, from Twickenham to Twilo. Welcome to Planet Progressive.

Elle Cafe

1) South Froggies feat. Alan - Jazzion
2) Ultimate K feat. Deise Mikhail - K Dance
3) 2 Minds - So fine
4) Karkhabuz - Mandol
5) De Cambord feat. Miguel - Oh yeah!
6) Mandarina Dub - Syrenus odyssey
7) Aalfa - Rave Vox
8) Annaba - Binkerin
9) Boccador - Yebo
10) Pablo Heintz - Coffee shop

I'm really impressed with this compilation which I found in Oxfam. It dates from 2003 and is an excellent collection of downtempo, future jazz tracks put together by a Portuguese label called Difference. I'm not sure if it was given away by Elle magazine or not but it was well worh the £3.49 I paid for it. Strangely the 10 tracks are also half of another compilation called Alcantara Cafe released by the same label. The first track does contain the lyrics "Jazz sex in a freestyle nation" which is a bit odd but I could be hearing it wrong.