Vintage Halloween Wax

Ok, I have been so slow at updating my blogs, but work keeps me busy. This is mostly a repost (with a few new tracks added), a follow-up to my popular series Vintage Christmas Wax, revised for the Halloween season of course. Many of these fantastic transfers were sourced from The Cylinder Preservation & Digitization Project, Canada's Virtual Gramaphone, the Library & Archives Canada, The Library of Congress, The Edison National Historic Site, and the Internet Archive. This is for those of you who appreciate more to Halloween music than Ghostbusters and The Monster Mash. My favorite by far is Who Dat Up Dere by Woody Herman. Happy haunting...

The Ghost of the Terrible Blues - (Peerless Quartet)
Mystery - (Harry A. Yerkes Dance Orchestra)
Who Dat Up Dere? (Woody Herman & His Orchestra)
The Goblin Band - (Glen Grey & The Casa Loma Orchestra)
Midnight Mama - (Jelly Roll Mortons Levee Serenaders)
Suicide Blues - (Arthur Collins)
Graveyard Blues - (Earl Fuller's Rector Novelty Orchestra)
The Ghost of The Mayor Overture - (Edison Symphony Orchestra)
The Vampire (Sodero's Band)
Hallowe'en Dance (American Symphony Orchestra)
The Devil's March (John Yorke Altee)
I'm Afraid to Come Home in the Dark (Billy Murray)
More Work for the Undertaker (Daniel M. Quinn)
The Vamp (Fred Van Eps Banjo Orchestra)

New Release Spotlight: Ski Oakenfull

Yes, I know... Long time no post. Been so busy for the last year I hardly get around to this anymore. I'll get back into it soon enough. That being said, Ski Oakenfull has taken another stab at Level 42's Love Meeting Love (I reviewed the first release in January) with some new house mixes that seem to answer one of my earlier criticisms when I said "I'd like to see a club mix to round out the release." The new House and Hiro mixes were just what I was looking for. They are upbeat but do not destroy the brilliance of his original take on the classic tune like so many other club mixes tend to do. If only more artists would follow suit. A good remix should compliment a song, not rework it to the point that you no longer recognize it. Oakenfull keeps the sophisticated and soulful vibe of his original cover while adding just enough of a beat to move your feet a little faster on the dancefloor. You can preview the the six mixes via the link below and purchase the full release on September 11.

Love Meeting Love (Remixes)

Mash-Up Spotlight: Dan Mei & Mac Johnce "My Life On The Crazy Train Sucks"

Wow, been a looooooong time since my last post. Job just keeps me busy. Came across the mash-up and just love it. Would have never expected to hear Kelly, Ozzy, Pink and daft Punk together but this really works out nicely :) The video is also really well done:

Kelly Clarkson "My Life Would Suck Without You"

Ozzy Osbourne Crazy Train"

Pink "So What"

Daft Punk "Technologic"

Dan Mei & Mac Johnce "My Life On The Crazy Train Sucks"

Indie Spotlight: The Green Pajamas

Wow, been so long since I've posted. Recent Disney World vacation and work have kept me pretty busy. Anyway, time for a new post, once again courtesy of the folks at Parasol. Poison In The Russian Room is the latest release by Seattle combo The Green Pajamas, a conceptual piece split into two distinct parts. This is their seventh release for Hidden Agenda Records, seven among several dozen official releases since their inception in the mid 80s. While The Green Pajamas’ trademark psychedelia has gone through many moon phases (both gibbous and crescent) on the last 25 years, here in 2009 the band might rock harder than ever (they’re from Seattle after all, grunge finds a way), but also invert all expectations with a Pentangle-influenced acid-folkiness that will charm and enchant. Any Way The Wind Blows is the perfect idnie track to get you ready for the spring. I love the male and female vocal harmonies and subtle guitar distortion and effects in the background. Makes me want to get back on the air at the beach.

Any Way The Wind Blows

Indie Spotlight - The 1900s

Time for a quick pick this week. Chicago's The 1900s released a new mimi-album of out-takes and b-sides last month worth a few spins. Age of Metals sounds like something Fleetwood Mac might have done if they added some dub effects to a downtempo track. Seriously, tell me this is not Lindsey Buckingham on vocals. The piano and echoing acoustic guitars over a subtle, yet pulsating beat, is hypnotically brilliant. Grab this great collection through Parasol Records and enjoy some truly great laid back music.

Age of Metals

Alien Skin: 10 Free Bonus Tracks

Alien Skin's debut release remains one of my favorite albums for 2008 and it currently ranks at No. 1 on Reverb Nation's Electronica/Dance chart (Australia). George's soundscapes on Don't Open Till Doomsday are wonderfully moody and his excellent vocals capture the best of Depeche Mode's Martin Gore without sounding like a clone. Mid-tempo, ethereal, hypnotic aural goodness which I can not recommend enough. If you have not grabbed your copy yet, I would suggest joining the mailing list which will give you 10 free bonus tracks to download. Seriously, how could you not jump on that. If you have the debut album already, these bonus tracks are a must have. Favorites: Wall to Wall Skin, 1000 Feet Below, I Wanna Be With You, and Clara's Club Theme. I love, love, love this. Now, do yourself a favor and have your own alien experience and grab some Alien Skin.

Alien Skin - Free Bonus Tracks

New Release Spotlight: Ski Oakenfull

Time to kick off the new year with a great new electro single by Ski Oakenfull. Oakenfull has taken Level 42's 1980 debut single Love Meeting Love, a Brit-funk favorite, and updated it with Valerie Etienne on vocals (who has done backing vocals for Jamiroquai and almost appeared on Level 42's Forever Now album in 1994 according to Level 42 expert Paul Waller), while retaining the classic vibe which made the original so timeless. Downtempo fans will love this one (and I'd be shocked if the No Beats Mix didn't end up on the playlist of Washington, DC's famous Eighteenth Street Lounge) and the instrumentation is a brilliant take on the original keeping the old school feel with just enough newness to satisfy those who never heard the original or Level 42.

The Original and Instrumental mixes are my favorites while the No Beats Mix sounds like it was lifted from a Ministry of Sound chillout mix (an ideal grab for the modern lounge set). The Acapella Mix will only be of interest to those planning to do their own remix (I'd like to see a club mix to round out the release rather than the last one). As a fan of the original Level 42 single, my opinion may be a bit biased, but I really think Oakenfull has done a nice job with this one and it should appeal to plenty of DJ's across multiple formats. This single also reminds me of how timeless this song is 29 years later, and with Etienne's smooth vocal delivery, the same just might be said for this version in another 29 years. Sophisticated and soulful music like this is a rarity in the clubs and a welcome addition for 2009.

Oakenfull first made an impact in 1991 with the K-Creative, one of the initial signings to the then newly established Talkin' Loud Records. Co-writing & co-producing their debut album 'QED', he toured extensively throughout Europe and Japan. After his tenure with the K-Creative ended, Ski joined UK soul-funk band Raw Stylus as keys man (touring & recording with legendary Steely Dan producer Gary Katz) and regularly performed with the in house band at Gilles Peterson's seminal club nights at Bar Rumba in London. Most recently Ski has completed a new project under the guise of Ayota. Initially inspired by a Japanese friend's book of Poetry entitled Helicopter Flying In A Cloudy Sky, Ski wrote soundtracks to three of the poems. This quickly developed into an album project continuing a Japanese ambient theme. The result is 'Helicopter Cuts' (Third Ear Records).

To listen to samples of all four mixes, be sure to click here. The full single will be released through iTunes on March 6, 2009.