Where You Been?
I spent last week in California for work and as predicted this didn’t leave much time for listening or writing. Despite the hectic schedule, I had a blast, and as my jet-lag clears I’m feeling invigorated by the brief change of scene. I’ll be back to posting regularly on my Instagram page from today and next week’s newsletter should see a return to normality. I’m looking forward to digging into my purchases from a couple of days record digging in the Bay Area, so look out for those in the coming days. I did check out one LP this week which I’ve written about below; a throwback to my teenage years and one that I hope resonates with some of you. I’ve also got a little update on some other happenings in my musical world, so read on…
4th February • The KLF - Chill Out
I got back into London on Friday and on Saturday night found myself home alone (once the kids were asleep). Just before Christmas I happened upon The Crow Road on TV, an adaptation of Iain Banks 1992 novel of the same name. The mini-series is great, and the sense of nostalgia was palpable, not only in the setting and style, but also in my own memories of watching and reading it back in the 90s. It inspired me to dig out my well-worn copy of the book, which I must have read half a dozen times over the years.
I hadn’t taken it with me on my trip (it’s quite a hefty tome) and digging back into it found myself recreating the conditions in which I no doubt first read it; illuminated by a small reading light with an album playing softly in the background. After circling through a few options I settled on The KLF’s 1990 ‘transmission’ Chill Out, 45 minutes of ambient house, purportedly the soundtrack to a mythical journey through the American Deep South.
The record itself is a mind-expanding experience, particularly when I first heard it back in my early teens. I loved everything about the KLF, a band whose mythology was even more engrossing than their music. Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty had an eye for the spectacular and avant garde, whether it was by topping the charts with a ‘fictional’ band fronted by a car (as written about in the excellent ‘The Manual’), somehow persuading Tammy Wynette to guest on their 1991 single ‘Justified & Ancient’, opening the Brit Awards by machine-gunning the audience and most famously, burning £1 million.
In musical terms this is my favourite from their output, a free-form jam fusing their own dubbed-out productions, pedal steel guitar, a frenzied Bible-belt preacher and samples of everything from Elvis Presley to Van Halen and Acker Bilk.
The combination of music and literature from this formative time in my life was a powerful one. It was a reminder of the power of art, whatever the medium, and the memories and feelings it can recover in an instant. Thirty years and two children later there’s still part of teenage me inside and taking time to remember that can be enriching. You should give it a try…
Worldwide FM Resident Spotlight
As most of you probably know, Worldwide FM is ‘in transit’ at the moment, with no new shows broadcast aside from Gilles Peterson’s regular Thursday Brownswood Basement session. They are however, re-streaming old shows from the residents, and this week I’ve been chosen to pick some favourites from my back catalogue. Tune in from 10am GMT every day at worldwidefm.net - there will be a trio of my Excursions themed shows (focussing on samples, cover versions and soundtracks) and four of The Lesson shows; deep dives into a classic record that I love. As well as my chat with Femi Fem about Young Disciples 1991 debut Road To Freedom, I’m joined by Mr Thing to talk about Donuts by Jay Dee, Like Water For Chocolate by Common and The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest. Head to the WWFM website to listen in.
The Long Player Zine
The physical copies of the Long Player Zine are still available over on my Bandcamp page if you haven’t already grabbed a copy. Last week the good folks at The Newspaper Club were kind enough to feature it in their monthly round up. Printing with them was a fantastic experience and I can’t recommend them highly enough if you’re looking to get something into print.
That’s all for this week, hopefully I’ll see some of you on Wednesday at The Alchemist show at Jazz Cafe where I’ll be on DJ support duties. Till next time…