Emperors New Clothes: Darklight (Output) 1996

This harks back to the early days of the Output label before the electro revival and their big breakthrough with the Playgroup's 'Make It Happen' . In many ways it was a more interesting label back then with diverse releases from label head Trevor Jackson's Underdog alias as well as the early releases from Kieran Hebden as part of Fridge as well as his first solo forays under the Four Tet name.
A bit of a rarity this one, a double pack 10" release that isn't mentioned on the Discogs site. This is more on the trip hop vein and is affiliated with the Acid Jazz label, but don't let that put you off. If you dig the Headz era Mo Wax releases, then you will love this. Although it was recorded by Emperor's New Clothes (?), the whole EP has been reproduced and reworked by Trevor Jackson as the Underdog. Smoking beats and a dark musical backdrop, all the mixes tread a similar path. I love the voodoo trumpet that drops in which goes so well with the heavily effected rhodes chords and the sub bass that holds it together. The other track 'Darklight' is very similar but with a wee guitar riff I have heard before - no idea where though.
Its a shame that Output went tits up and it seems unlikely that releases like this are going to see the light of day ever again. Guess Trevor Jackson went back to doing his artwork but hopefully he will reappear again.


A1. Darklight (Underdog Remix)
B1. Darklight (Sputnik Remix)
C1. Haunted Music (Underdog Version)
D1. Darklight (Beatless Mix)
D2. Darklight (Bonus Beats)

Various: Eargasms Crucialpoetics Vol. 1 Sampler (Ozone) 1997

This is one of my favourite hip hop EP's and features some of the finest moments by the hip hop elite. Closer in spirit to the Last Poets than Dr Dre, this is pretty leftfield stuff. Even if you are not a hip hop fan, you will be interested by this.
None of these tracks have appeared anywhere else to my knowledge. This EP is a sampler from the album of the same name. I have only seen it once when it first came out and at £22 for an import CD, I decided to give it a miss, so who knows what other goodies were on there. Every track is seriously good but without disrespecting any of the other artists, there are 2 standout moments for me - Saul Williams & Mos Def.
Saul Williams drops a seriously deranged rap over a sparse modern classical piece with some human beatboxing finding a groove in there. I remember playing this out a couple of times and it freaked pretty much everyone out. Listening back now, I can understand why and the passing of time hasn't made it any less challenging. Its future music, but I don't know when this future will be. It is to rap what Archie Shepp was to jazz.
Mos Def is on a jazz tip here with the sparsest of backings but his delivery is stunning. He sounds scarily like Gil Scott Heron here. How did we get from here to him starring in a film with Jack Black? Very strange.

A1. Rha Goddess - My Pen (Remix) 4:34
A2. Saul Williams - Twice The First Time 4:31
A3. Bobbito The Barber - The Cucumber 3:18
B1. Mike Ladd feat. Company Flow - Bladerunners 5:44
B2. Mos Def - A Soldier's Dream 5:25

Shiba Experiment: Hanadokei (The Flower Clock) (Bambola) 2001

Japanese releases are always sought after for numerous reasons - superb production, great pressings, gorgeous artwork and super rarity factor. Sometimes the music's good too - as in this one.
This is house music but on a kind of Pepe Braddock tip with a beautiful melody running over the top in a kinda Detroit style building the synths for nearly four minutes before the beats come in. Then we are off into the groove as the arrangement builds and drops around us. Amazing stuff. Every track here is great though. 'El Sol' is kinda similar to the A Side but possibly a bit housier with a real funky bassline and some latin percussion - still tons of melody though. The final track is on a chill out tip, with an real early 70's Miles Davis fusion feel. All in all a killer EP.
Records like this would stay in my DJ bag for ages as I would play every track off it over the space of the night. Too many labels would stick 4 track EP's out when only the lead track was worth owning. At the same time some artists would embrace the concept of an EP and make it a real trip - Underground Resistance spring to mind, especially their Nation to Galaxy trilogy.
I was bit obsessive with the Japanese scene for while, although a lot of it was indulgent jazzy
nonsense. Still a good few gems over the years though - will look some out.


A1. Hanadokei (The Flower Clock)
B1. El Sol
B2. Magus Steps

Conscious Sounds: Release The Chains (Conscious Sounds) 1995

Digi Dub? A bit of a love / hate thing at the time with many of the purists repulsed by the digital version. They did have a point in some instances as a lot of it was truly shit but when digi dub got it right, it rocked. Remember (very vaguely) going to see Jah Shaka at a reggae festival in Brighton and he played this, as well as other stuff on the Conscious Sounds label. It sounded amazing. Actually met all the Rub A dub guys that day and they gave us a lift back to our dingy hotel in some Brighton back street . It was also from their shop that this record was purchased.
This is a highly authentic dub reggae version of Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' with the instantly recognisable bassline to the fore and horns hinting at the melody. Believe me, it sounds 10 times better than I am describing. There are four mixes on this EP with the lead track being the most song based, where the other versions up the effects and take it into more psychedelic areas. Version Three is my particular favourite with its 4/4 club beat and distorted guitar, it sounds like prime era Bandulu or Sabres era Weatherall.
There was an album of the same name which I seem to have lost, but this was the standout track anyway. Need to find some more early 90's digi dub to upload. The Orb's Mr Modo label put out some great stuff as well. Hopefully I haven't lost all of them.


A1. Release The Chains
A2. Version 2
B1. Version 3
B2. Version 4

Idjut Boys: 7 Inch Spesh (NOID7000001) 2002

Back at last! Sorry for the delay but the festive period is a busy time for me and I've been on catch up for the last month. Will keep this one brief, as I don't have too much info on this one. Its obviously the Idjut's again, using silly band names, but both tracks work well in that Disco Not Disco vibe. I was always a sucker for those limited 7" releases!!
Hope you enjoy and expect loads more in February.

A. Cornelius Bushbeat III - Do You Know Conchita?
B. Jeff Leopard Band - Bedroom Eyes

Terranova Featuring Manuel Goettsching - Tokyo Tower (AGV 015) 1997

Never really checked out much Terranova stuff, but this is a real gem. Remember this was quite limited at the time, although I believe it has been released on a compilation they stuck out. It features the mighty Manuel Goettsching, he formally of krautrock legends Ash Ra Temple. He lends his infinite guitar sound to both sides with a jazzy backdrop of shuffling brushes and walking bass lines over 2 pretty tripped out tracks. The man is selective in his collaborations and the two influences work really well here. It doesn’t seem like one of those corny tribute type guest appearance things (who said Alan Vega!) but a real collaboration. Another one I had forgotten about, I used to play ‘Tokyo Tower’ as my first track of the night. Sounds great really loud.

Despite the legend of Ash Ra Temple, it’s Goettsching’s solo ‘E2 E4’ that tops my list. A 45 minute trance groove in the proper sense of the word, it was famously sampled for the Balearic / acid house classic ‘Sueno Latino’ although Carl Crag was one of the many who used it. Distinctly remember the first time I heard it at one of those classic ‘back to mine’ moments after a club night. Until the turn of the 90’s I still had that anti prog rock thing that anyone growing up in the post punk generation did. Then the Orb and the likes came along and a rediscovery of Brian Eno, Krautrock and Dub, although I still despise ELP, Genesis and Yes. ‘E2 E4’ is the soundtrack to that memory. Not too sure where my vinyl copy is and when I find it and I will post it, although no guarantees on a time frame. In the meantime this will do.

A1 Tokyo Tower

B1 Clone

O'Neill - No Flies On Frank (ART16) 1998

Now get this – a collaboration between O’Neill, formally of The Undertones and the mighty Kevin Shields of leftfield soundtracky trip hop released on an underground French house music label!!!

Always been perplexed why those obsessive My Bloody Valentine collectors haven’t picked up on this, because even though it has O’Neill’s name, the music has Shield’s name written all over it. In hindsight if you listen to that little 7” they gave out with ‘Isn’t Anything’ with the hip hop groove and then this, you will see a similarity. However this also has a John Barry feel to the whole EP, kind of what Barry would do nowadays to a James Bond soundtrack, as opposed to the unoriginal rehashes of David Arnold.

Not too sure what to make of My Bloody Valentine in 2009 / 2010. Although they were one of those life changing bands for me and I saw them tons ‘back in the day’, this whole reformation is just a pay check day as it is for everyone else on the circuit now. I hope I am wrong but I doubt that a new album will appear, probably just a much needed compilation with a few unreleased moments. Good luck to them anyway. Don’t think that they made much money on Creation and they don’t seem to get on too well with their old label boss McGee now, but does any ex Creation artists?

There is little to no info on the web about this 4 track EP. You may see more Kevin Shields remixes on Afrotronica. Really loved a lot of his remix work in the late 90’s, and some seem to have been long forgotten, a bit like this.

Big ups to the Artefact label too. Over the years they have always pushed the boat out more than most dance labels with the likes of the aforementioned EP as well as afrobeat and ambient releases.

A1 Early Morning Surprise
A2 Moon Tide
B1 Spook
B2 Creme Fraiche