I like my trance uncut

March 31st, 2011

My report on the Ultra Music Festival is coming soon. It will be epic, believe me. Until then, here are a couple classics to hold you all over.

The KLF
What Time Is Love (Pure Trance Original)
What Time Is Love (Pure Trance Mix 2)
During my time in Miami I found one record store, Uncle Sam’s Music in South Beach. It’s a very good store, and if you are ever in the greater Miami area and don’t want to blow all your money on blow, I suggest checking them out. That’s where I made this awesome find. These tracks are from the very first printing of “What Time Is Love” – the one labeled “Pure Trance 1” (KLF 004T) that was deleted soon after it came out. I never thought I’d find one of these in America, let alone for less than 10 bucks. The original version of this classic track is probably the best one. So download and enjoy. The second mix is a little out there, but still damn great and worth having.

Enjoy your trance pure and expect an epic post to go along with this epic music tomorow.

Posted in remixes, The KLF | 4 Comments »

Taking my Lack of Talent to South Beach

March 23rd, 2011

This will most likely be my only post for the week. Barring any further disruption (…long story) I will be heading to Miami this Thursday for the Ultra Music Festival to see Duran Duran, Underworld, Hybrid, Pendulum, Erasure, Royksopp, Ed Rush & Optical, The Chemical Brothers and about a billion other electronic acts.

I’m getting to South Beach on Thursday afternoon. The concert, however, does not start until Friday afternoon, so if anyone out there has any entertainment recommendations for someone who does not like to go to clubs, get shitfaced and have creepy anonymous sex with an equally shitfaced stranger, please let me know. I don’t have high hopes though, as that appears to be all there is to do in Maimi from what I’ve heard. Well, that and betray Ohio. Oh snap!

Anyways, musics!

Portishead Remixes
 Something For Kate – Easy (Portishead Remix)
Earthling – 1st Transmission (Earthead) Portishead Remix)
 Primal Scream – Give Out But Don’t Give Up (Portishead Remix)
Ride – Moonlight Medicine (Portishead Remix)
Machine Gun Fellatio – Horny Blonde (Portishead Remix)
I know very little, and in some case nothing, about any of these bands. I got these tracks off of a bootleg vinyl compilation called Portishead Remixes. In case you can’t tell from that incredibly creative title, it is a collection of remixes by Portishead. I love their remixes, because they somehow have the ability to take any track, no matter what the genre, and turn it into a Portishead song. Heavy metal, house, alt-rock, whatever, they Portishead the fuck out of it. Did I just make “Portishead” a verb? If you got a problem with that I will Propellerhead the shit out of you.

As for the bands, well, like I said, I know very little about them. I can tell you that the Something For Kate track reminds me of Bush in a good way, and that the Ride track reminds me of trippy Oasis, which makes sense since at last one of the dudes in that band ended up in Oasis. The rest, well, really sound like Portishead. Also, Machine Gun Fellatio? Best horrible band name ever.

Mantronix
Simple Simon (You Gotta Rock Hard)
Simple Simon (You Dubba Regard)
Simple Simon (Dub Gotta Rock Hard)
Damn. This is a great track. I really need to get me some more Mantronix. While browsing them on Wikipedia, I noticed that Pitchfork gave the deluxe edition of their self-titled debut an 8.08 out of 10. Well played Pitchfork, well played. (For those who don’t get the joke, click here) These are from a 12″ single.

Talking Heads
The Lady Don’t Mind (Extended Version)
Right now I’m watching Lopez Tonight on mute and fat bald priest is holding a raffle while an old Jewish man dances on a strip pole. I’m never unmuting my television again.

Oh, and this remix of “The Lady Don’t Mind” comes from a 12″ single. See you all next week.

Posted in Earthling, Machine Gun Fellatio, Mantronix, Portishead, Primal Scream, Ride, Something For Kate, Talking Heads | 9 Comments »

Cast a Dream for Dreamcast Vinyl

March 18th, 2011

I know I promised more stuff like my last post, but I’m going to have to interrupt that plan for a bit because today I got something utterly amazing in the mail.

 

 

Woot! My man in Australia came through in  spades and I am now the proud owner of a Dreamcast Collection vinyl record!

 

I talked about this ealier, but in case you aren’t familar; Sega recently released a new collection of Dreamcast games for the Xbox 360. The game was pretty much a worldwide release. But Australian customers who preordered the game got this exclusive free record as a bonus! It is totally the best preorder bonus in the history of preorder bonuses. Since I live in America and not Australia, I ended up begging my readers for help. One truly awesome dude from Down Under came through and now we all get to bask in its pearl white glory.

 

 

Mass Effect 2 can take its stupid armor and shove it.

The Dreamcast Collection game contains four complete Dreamcast games; Sonic Adventure, Space Channel 5 Part 2, Crazy Taxi, and…um…Sega Bass Fishing. Each of the games, except Sega Bass Fishing is represented somehow on the vinyl. Sorry fishing fans, better luck next time.

So what is exactly on this record? Let’s take a look.

Sonic Adventure
Crush 40 – Open Your Heart
This is the theme song to the original Sonic Adventure video game, which launched with the Dreamcast in 1999. Sonic Adventure is a…weird game that has not particularly aged well. Sure it was fun at the time, and that shit with the whale was totally awesome! But play it now. The controls are more than a little lacking, the graphics have not aged well, and the “adventure” aspects of the game are like pulling teeth. The game is best when Sonic is blazing through crazy 3D environments at light speed, which is sadly when you have almost no control over the character.

Anyways, the song. Yeah…it’s something else. I haven’t heard this tune since 1999 and I recall thinking it was pretty stupid then. Like the game it is from, time has not been kind to it. Still, it’s definitely fun in its own way, and would probably work great on a workout mix. Besides, have you heard any other arena rock songs have mention Choas Rings? Didn’t think so.

Space Channel Five Part 2
Naofumi Hataya, Kenichi Tokoi, Mariko Nanba and Tomoya Ohtani – Option Remix 2002 (Space Channel 5 Part 2)

The first Space Channel 5 was a game I always really wanted to like. It has an amazing look to it and some great music. However, I always found the goddamn thing hard as all hell. I’m used to rhythm games, but it was just too much for me. If you were off by one-tenth of a millisecond with the timing you were you totally boned! But hey, some people swear by the series, so who am I to judge? Like I said, it certainly looks amazing.

Like the name suggests, this is the music for the Options menu in Space Channel 5 Part 2. It is the best Options screen music you were hear all day. It’s great song, totally upbeat techno/lounge music that makes you wanna groove all night. Unfortunately it’s only 1:20 long, so get that repeat button ready.

I don’t know if I’m attributing it to the right people, but those are the names of all the composers who worked on the game. So one of them probably did it.

Crazy Taxi
The Days The Nights – Radical Sabbatical
The Juliet Dagger – Flinch
The Hooks – Get Out
Now this game was my jam when it came out. My friend Matt and I spent many a night in his dorm room trying to ace this game, fighting over bragging rights for the highest score in arcade mode while trying to desperately finish the insanely hard mini-game challenges. For a game that consisted of little more than driving recklessly to Pizza Hut while listening to The Offsrping ad nauseum, it offered surprisingly good times.

So if you’re like me, when you first saw the tracklisting for this record you thought , “Hey, I played Crazy Taxi hundreds of times and I never heard of these songs, what gives? Where’s my Offspring and Bad Relgion”

Well, “what gives” is music licensing issues. Sega most likely bought the rights to use said Offspring and Bad Religion songs for the original Dreamcast release only. Any derivatives or remakes do not feature those classic tracks. Instead they feature these newer songs.

How are they? Well, it’s a mixed bag. Despite its great name “Radical Sabbatical” is kind of generic, forgettable alt-rock. “Flinch” by The Juliet Dagger is alright, and it has a good tempo. However it kind of sounds like a song by The Hives, the name of which escapes me  at the moment. “Get Out” by The Hooks is the same, not bad, but not very memorable either. I see this band having some potential however. Still, all three probably fit well in the actual game, even if they don’t make well for casual listening.

So as a whole, the tracks on this compilation are great more for the novelty factor than anything else. But what a novelty! Dreamcast songs on vinyl! How cool is that shit? I hope they do this again when they undoubtedly release more Dreamcast games on the 360.

Hey Sega, Jet Grind Radio, do it. If they made a 2LP soundtrack to that game and charged me 100 bucks for it I would buy it. The music in that game is amazing. I don’t recall the music from other Dreamcast greats like the Power Stone series and Virtua Tennis as much, but those games need to get re-released in HD, and why not put out the music as well?

Video game music on vinyl. It has to start happening more often!

 

Posted in video game music | 1 Comment »

Clean Your Needle Before Playing Dirty Records

March 16th, 2011

Before I get to tonight’s weird-ass post, I would like to thank all of you who left words of encouragement after my last couple of posts. I wasn’t fishing for the compliments when I wrote the posts, but they were still nice to hear. In case anyone is wondering, I’m using a replacement turntable for the moment, which I will classify as “good enough.”

Sometimes it’s nice to be reminded that not everyone out there sucks. I have a hard time realizing that sometimes. Especially when you see jerks making jokes about Japan and comments about how it’s karmic payback for Pearl Harbor or some BS like that. I’ve been reading stuff like that for the past few days and it has literally made me sick. If you’ve said something like that in the past few days then I don’t want you to read my blog anymore.

I read a horrible article at Salon cautioning AGAINST donating money to help the people in Japan (because they somehow don’t need the help) and I’m fearful that ideas like that might take hold. Please, donate money to help the people in Japan. Sure, Japan is an industrialized nation with a stable, organized government but it’s a safe bet that they’re going to need all the help they can get. Red Cross. Go there. Donate. You can also do that text thing (REDCROSS to 90999 gives 10 bucks). If you’re aren’t living paycheck-to-paycheck then there is really no reason not to donate. Donate. Do it already. You can’t read the rest of this blog post until you do. And you’ll want to. I got some weird stuff for you all tonight.


Sex Is My Business
Side 1
Side 2
I buy a lot of records, and a lot more than music has been released on vinyl. There are children’s stories, audiobooks, radio plays, interactive storybooks, exercise programs, educational programs, historical documentaries, interviews, you name it, it’s been released on vinyl. I don’t buy a lot of those non-music records. Most are pretty stupid, and not in an entertaining way. But I have to admit that the name, and that cover, of this little gem peaked my interest. Also, it’s blue!

 

Sex Is My Business (1960) is a very odd record, even in the very odd market of “party records.” I’ll let the copy on the back of it speak for itself:

“The record is not available in record stores. It is one of the most startling and compelling records eve produced. SEX IS MY BUSINESS is the result of actual interviews with prostitutes, homosexuals, pimps and “Johns” in which we hear them tell the fascinating and almost unbelievable story of their lives; their experiences, how they work, what they do and why, the money the receive and the money they pay; their fears; anxieties, hopes and stranges loves…all in their own words in a frank, graphic and revealing description of a way of life few of us know or understand. This record may shock you. It’s meant to do just that! It’s a vital, true life documentary of a social manifestation in our culture that should not and cannot be ignored. This record is for adults only.”

Basically, its a collection of alleged interviews with real-life prostitutes. One kinda-sorta pimp is included near the end, but he seems more like a gigolo. And aside from a couple mentions of bisexual Johns and one lesbian encounter by a prostitute, the isn’t much in the way of homosexual content, so that copy is a bit of an exaggeration.

I don’t know if the interviews on Sex Is My Business are real or not. If anyone has any insight on that please email me and let me know! They do sound fairly convincing, and if they are faked performances then they are performed very well. Some parts are really sad,  some are really funny, and some are just plain weird (the story about the dude with the “velvet fetish” is a standout). Don’t expect any very explicit talk though. Sure, it’s an “adult record” but it’s still from 1960, so no details about specific acts nor talk about birth control and abortions or anything like that.

Real or not, this record is freaking fascinating. It’s a great product of its time, showcasing just how taboo topics like this were that you had to order a record about it through the mail to hear about it. But even that was hard. In 1961, Fax Records, the makers of Sex Is My Business and other fine adult records like “Stories Mother Never Told You” and “Sin Along With Us” was prosecuted by the federal government for sending obscene materials through the United States Post Office. Read about it here. I would love to find out more about that case.

I have some more weird records like this that I plan on sharing later this week or early next week. Hope you like the temporary change of pace.

Posted in Non-Music | 5 Comments »

Everything Is Wrong

March 11th, 2011

So, remember how I said I was just going to let my audio difficulties slide and embrace the minor flaws of vinyl?

Yeah, that was a lie.

Out of curiosity I took a couple problem records to a friends house to see if they would sound any better on her system, which is a piece of shit belt-driven turntable she bought at Target for 30 bucks. Guess what? They totally did. So then I dug out an old turntable of mine and hooked it up to my system. It sounds like shit in its own way, but the problem I was having was absent. Which only means one thing, my turntable is totally fucked up.

It’s a maddening problem. Not all records sound bad, just some. But the ones that do really sound bad. The worst case is a track called “Beautiful Lies” from a drum and bass artist named B-Complex. Here’s a zip file with a clip from versions of the track. The one labeled “shit” is taken from my turntable, while the one labeled “good” is from a CD. Listen and compare. Any idea as to what the hell is going on here? I’ve played the record on other turntables and it sounds fine! I’ve also replaced every cable in my setup, and even replaced/cleaned/adjusted my needle and tone arm to no avail. I’m at wit’s end. I’m taking the turntable into Jerry’s to hopefully get fixed tomorow, and I will be borrowing my old USB turntable that I gave to a friend until this issue is resolved. It doesn’t sound great, but it is more than serviceable.

Okay, so this is where I’m kind of insane. Since now I know some of my recordings sound fucked up because of my turntable, I no longer can stand any of them. so pretty much everything I recorded in  the past two months is now a complete waste that won’t be on this blog until I can try to re-record them on a decent system. This is a problem. I have a few things saved up, but not much. So if I can’t get this fixed soon, expect the blog to go into “Greatest Hits” mode for a while, putting up stuff from old posts. Oh well, another excuse for me to talk about Big Country’s “Wonderland.”

Ian McCulloch
Faith & Healing (The Carpenter’s Son Mix)
Toad
Fear Of the Known
These tracks sound good enough. I’m noticing some slight distortion on the first one, but nothing worth scrapping the whole post for. Sigh. I’m so pissed off right now…

Anyways, these are good tracks recorded by the lead singer of Echo & The Bunneymen during that brief period where they existed as a band but without Ian on vocals. I like “Toad” especially.

Now if you excuse me I’m going to go drown my A/V sorrows in alcohol-infused whipped cream.

Posted in Ian McCulloch, remixes | 7 Comments »

Hell of a Good DJ

March 9th, 2011

Thank you everyone who gave their input in regards to my audio quality issues. After reading through all your input and doing some additional research on my own I’ve determined that the main issue is that the records I buy are usually used, and used greatly at that. I guess it comes with the territory. Still, if anyone has any specific advice on how to deal with that “lispy’ sound issue I’d be much obliged.

I also noticed that many people were making assumptions about the gear/set-up I run. So I thought I would just explain that right now to get it out of the way.

My turntable is a Stanton STR8-80, which I got used for about 80 bucks – a steal. It’s s straight-arm model, and I know that those aren’t the best for audio quality, but it’s always been a delicate balance for me when it comes to finding a turntable that can play at high quality and one that can play stratched, fucked up records. I know that straight-arm turntables can usually play more busted-up records, so that’s why I went with it over a curved-arm model.

The STR8-80 has a standard RCA cable attached to it, which I run to a pre-amp that cuts down/eliminates annoying R/F interference. Then I run the cable out of that to my computer via a RCA-to-line-in cable. Right now its hooked up to the computer’s onboard soundcard. While that’s not perfect, its not half bad either, and seems to be doing the job right now. I did a comparison between the onboard audio and my external Soundblaster and didn’t notice any difference, so I’m not going to bother with an external soundcard for now.

I use Creative’s cheapo recorder for recording the audio, and then I use Sony’s Sound Forge to touch it up and cut the raw WAV files into individual MP3s. I almost never use any automated “vinyl recording” features that touch up audio files. Sure, they can be great at removing pops and clicks, but they also remove high hats, finger snaps and any other similar sound. I do it all manually. I’m crazy like that.

Then I use MP3tag to tag the files. I used to use iTunes for this, but I was finding out that iTunes was leaving some fields black in the actual tags, and whenever I had to re-install iTunes I was losing information, which was incredibly annoying.

Nearly everything I use has been replaced at least once, and the “lispy” audio and slightly of-kilter audio balance have always followed to some extent, so until I get a really super high end turntable (i.e. A Technics SL-1200mk2) I’m now officially no longer caring about my audio quality unless there’s something free and easy that I can do to make it sound better. So, please don’t send me feedback telling me how I’m fucking everything up unless you have a no-cost, preferably software solution. I’ll give an automatic process a chance if it can fix this problem.

Or if my audio quality really bothers you then just send me a Technics SL-1200MK2 turntable for free. Hey, they’re only 600 bucks! Buy me two!

Beastie Boys
Intergalactic (Professors of Technology Remix)
Intergalactic (Fuzzy Logic Remix)
“Intergalatic” was the track I used to test my tonearm weight. The line “when I wrote graffiti my name was slop!” line was a good test of that “lispy” sound. The original version of the track had that problem pretty bad, but these remixes are fairly clean. Regardless of audio quality, they’re all funky as shit.

Hell
Follow You (Dominik Eulberg Remix)
I love Hell, the dude, not the concept of eternal damnation. I usually can’t stand minimal techno either, so the fact that I think this dude is the best DJ on the planet really says something about how awesome he is. He’s the only person not playing at UMF this year who I wish was.

Oh yeah, by the way, I’m totally going to UMF (Ultra Music Festival) in Miami this month! If anyone wants to recommend any DJ/artist let me know! There are SO MANY playing that it’s kind of hard to keep track of them all.

Posted in Beastie Boys, Hell, remixes | 4 Comments »

Trapped in Audio Connection Hell, Send Help

March 3rd, 2011

Being an A/V geek can be a real pain in the ass sometimes.

I’ve been recording vinyl for about six years now. During that time I’ve gone through three computers and four turntables. Each change has brought me better fidelity and audio quality. But I’d never be one to claim I’m an expert at this shit. I make up most of it as I go, and pretty much do things my own bass-akwards way that involves three different computer programs and a lot of slow, monotonous, manual editing that can take forever. But I’m an anal retentive prick, so that kind of comes with the territory.

However, I recently have become completely fed up with two incredibly annoying audio problems that I cannot seem to fix, and would like any outside input.

The first is rather small, but annoying. My balance is always off. Not by a lot, just a few dB. It’s not really noticeable, I only can tell because I look at the soundwaves when I edit the tracks. It doesn’t matter what turntable I use or what needle I use, I always seem to have this problem. I’ve even tried an external soundcard and other audio cables. But to no avail. I’m assuming it MUST have something to do with my computer right? How the hell do I fix that?

The second problem is much more annoying. And the best way to talk about it is to use an example. Go to this post and download “LSI (Love Sex Intelligence) (Ed Richards 12″ Mix).” Skip to about three minutes in and listen to the loop of “LSI.” Notice how the “S” sounds generate some distortion, like everyone has a lisp or the audio levels are too high? What the hell is causing that? Now, this problem isn’t across all my records, and I mostly only notice it on older ones, so this might not even be my problem at all. Maybe I’m buying shitty records. I’m willing to accept that, most of the stuff I buy has been (not gently) used. But if anyone knows any way to minimize this problem I’d love to hear it. OH, and I’ve mucked with the tonearm’s counterweight countless times. That’s not it. That thing is perfect.

So, if anyone can help me solve these problems I’ll give them cookies. Or some music. Whatever.

The Shamen
Boss Drum (Justin Robertson Lion Rock Mix)
Boss Drum (Youth Transhamen Ritual Mix)
Boss Drum (Beatmasters Tribal Buzz Mix)
Phorever People (Beatmasters Heavenly Mix)
Phorever People (Tee’s Flying Dub)
Phorever People (Tommy D’s Swing Dub)
The final batch of Shamen tracks! Enjoy.

Bran Van 3000
Astounded (Eric Kupper Mix)
Astounded (Demon Mix)
Astounded (MJ Cole Mix)
This is some sexy shit. God damn. This track uses a previously unheard Curtis Mayfield track, and with great results. Be careful when listening to this one, it might cause uncontrollable sexiness. I still haven’t gotten off my ass and picked up either of Bran Van 3000’s last two albums. Any word out there? They any good? I love me some Discosis.  These are from a 12″ single.

Posted in Bran Van 3000, remixes, The Shamen | 10 Comments »

Never Rub Another Man’s Aphex Twin Song Title

February 28th, 2011

For the second year in a row I avoided the Oscars. The bullshit nature of award shows depresses me.

So what did I watch instead?

Dancer In the Dark.

Shit.

Seriously. SHIT. I had never seen that movie before. And while yes, it is beautiful and incredibly moving, it’s also probably the most depressing film I have ever seen.

I had to watch the “Dance Magic Dance” scene in Labyrinth three times just to foster enough positive vibes to get me out of my chair. I knew I didn’t see it when it came out for a reason. Yikes. I need to go look at some LOLcats or something before I go to bed. But until then, stupid dance music!

The Shamen
LSI (Love Sex Intelligence) (Ed Richards 12″ Mix)
LSI (Love Sex Intelligence) (Beatmasters 12″ Mix)
LSI (Love Sex Intelligence) (Shamen Alternative Vocal)
LSI (Love Sex Intelligence) (Frank De Wulf Dub Rave)
LSI (Love Sex Intelligence) (Shamen Deep Dub)
LSI (Love Sex Intelligence) (Well Hung Parliament Dub)
Spoiler! This song is about me.

ZING.

More by The Shamen, I know you’re all horribly surprised. I got one more of these in me, then I will have exhausted my entire supply of The Shamen. At least until I buy more.

Humate
Love Stimulation (Blank & Jones Remix)
Love Stimulation (Paul Van Dyk Love Club Mix)
I’m keeping it up. The love theme that is, with this excellent trance track. What this song has to do with love is a mystery, however, as it has no lyrics. It could have been called “Cheese Stimulation.”

Mmmm…cheese.

Oh, where was I? Oh yeah, these mixes are from a 12″ single. Now excuse me while I go eat some cheese.

Pop Will Eat Itself
Another Man’s Rhubarb (12″ Mix)
Another Man’s Rhubarb (7″ Mix)
Another Man’s Rhubarb (Chaotic Mix)
Leave it to PWEI to fuck my love-dovey/cheese theme all to hell. This song is…quite stupid, but in the best possible way. It starts with that very bizarre quote from the 1989 Batman movie, and then it segues into a whole “We Are the People” rant? Huh? What? Oh, Clint Mansell, you so crazy!

That’s right kids, don’t forget that Clint Mansell, Oscar-nominated film composer for films like Requiem For a Dream, The Wrestler and Moon, was the lead singer for Pop Will Eatself. That means that the man who brought us the classic theme from Requiem For A Dream also brought us “Beaver Patrol.”

Because, y’know, he’s classy.

Posted in Humate, Pop Will Eat Itself, remixes, The Shamen | 6 Comments »

Too Tired For a Title – The Sequel

February 24th, 2011

Big ups to my Melbourne connection for hooking me up with the elusive Dreamcast vinyl! Dude if you ever need someone whacked, or if you just need someone to get you something off of a high shelf let me know. This giant vinyl/video game nerd is forever in your debt.

If any of my other fans ever want to pay me back for all my years of providing free, bizarre music, I would like to remind you all that I do take checks.

Seriously though, feeling generous? Go click on that link on the right for Planned Parenthood. Donate a few bucks their way. You’d be making me happy, helping low-income families get birth control, and pissing off Republicans all at the same time. Seems like a triple-win to me.

Renegade Soundwave
Thunder II
Manphibian
Mash-Up
I said before I would post more RSW if I found some. And guess what? I did. These are from a 12″ for “Thunder.”

Unrelated note, “Manphibian” totally sounds like a Roger Corman movie that never happened. Maybe a sequel to “Sssssss” (and yes kids, that the name of a real movie). If anyone could tell me what “Manphibian” samples I would appreciate it. It sounds like the song that was used to become the Sex & The City theme, or am I just sleep deprived and half death?

The Shamen
Possible Worlds (Deep Psi)
Possible Worlds (Imaginary)
Possible Worlds (Stick)
Possible Worlds (Reverse)
My Shamen clearance sale continues! These are b-sides to “Make It Mine.” I have more Shamen coming still! Probably two more posts worth. I hope someone is digging this shit, I sure am.

L.L. Cool J
Rock The Bells (Original Version)
Bittersweet Symphony vs. Rock The Bells
And for some musical diversity, its time to rock the motherfucking bells.

The original version of this track is crazy. First of all, it has actual bells. Something that is lacking from the album cut. It’s also seven minutes long, is completely lacking anything resembling a chorus, and has the fidelity of a track that I might record in my closet with an 8-track recorder and a Fischer Price microphone. Although that might have more to do with the quality of the vinyl I ripped it from, which looked like it was taken through a pack of wolverines. I cleaned the hell out of this fucker (both digitally and literally) and I think it sounds pretty good now, I hope you all agree.

Also included as a bonus is the “Bittersweet Symphony/Rock the Bells” mashup mix from the excellent game DJ Hero. I don’t know why, but this mix pumps me up like nothing else. I think it’s the whole “L.L. Cool J. is hard as HELL” bit, which is stretched out a little bit in this mix. I used to have it on my jogging mix, but it pumped me up to such a dangerous degree that I had to remove it in fear of giving myself a heart attack. Same thing happened when I used to have “Red Cape Diver” by Foxy Shazam on my workout mix. Some songs are just too motivational! I should just stick to the classics.

Posted in B-sides, LL Cool J, remixes, Renegade Soundwave, The Shamen | 5 Comments »

Orbtastic? Is that taken?

February 21st, 2011

I need this record. I need this record. I need this record.

I NEED THIS RECORD.

For those of you who don’t click on random links without knowing what they are. I am referring to a special, limited edition Dreamcast white vinyl record with songs from various Dreamcast games. It’s pretty. And apparently very hard to find. It’s a pre-order bonus in parts of Europe and Australia for the upcoming Dreamcast Collection. If any of my European or Australian readers want to make a deal, send me an email please. Seriously. I will pay money for this. I want that record.

The Shamen
Make It Mine (Manhattan Mix)
Make It Mine (Moby’s Dub Mix)
Make It Mine (Deep Mix)
Make It Mine (Club Vocal)
Make It Mine (V 2.1 Make It Minimal)
Make It Mine (V 2.4 Micro Minimal)
Make It Mine (Pro-Gress I Vox)
Make It Mine (Pro-Gress I Instrumental)
Make It Mine (V 1.1 Lenny D )

I think he wants to make it his.

Okay, I’m going to be honest; I know jackshit about The Shamen. I touched on this last week. I was bored. It was a slow week at the record store, and someone must have recently sold their entire Shamen collection. I bought the records because I noticed some of the remix artists. Now I have three hours and twenty minutes of Shamen remixes on my hard drive. Thank God they’re mostly good! That would have been embarrassing otherwise.  These remixes are from two separate Make It Minesingles. I’ll have even more Shamen later in the week hopefully.

Orbital
Chime (Extended Version)
Chime Crime
Chime (Joey Bel Tram/Program 2 Mix)
Open Mind
Open Mind (Funky Alternatives Mix)
So there’s The Orb, mostly-forgotten late-90s rock band Orbit, William Orbit, and Orbital. Am I missing anyone in the vast variances of Orb-derivative band names? All these bands started around the same time too, you think they would have gotten together and worked out it out. Did any of them ever work together? Anyone have any Orb/ital mash-up? Maybe a mix of “Blue Room” and “Halcyon + On + On?“ That would be dope, and probably like 80 minutes long, but whatever, I’d listen to it.

Anyways, these tracks are from a 12″ promo single I picked up last week. If you’re wondering which track is the best, the answer is all of them.

Posted in B-sides, Orbital, remixes, The Shamen | 7 Comments »

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