5-Song Weekly Mini-Review #5

Loddi doddi, party’s rockin’. Or something. Maybe I’ll be rockin’ more soon, as I’m pretty much done with working graveyards, going onto evening shifts instead. So, instead of having to leave a party just as it’s getting warmed up, I’ll be able to arrive at the party just as it begins to wind down! In the meantime, here’s five more random songs to talk about.


1. Dogon - Fat Old Sun
From the album The Sirius Expeditions.

Obscure experimental duo comprising of Paul Godwin and Miguel Noya. They released a few albums back it he 90s that few heard before seemingly disappearing. This is one of their chilled-out tunes, covering Pink Floyd's song of the same name and turning it into the sort of thing you might expect from and Air or Röyksopp. Though it’s alright, those big synth pulses and spritely plucks seem at odds; still, it's nostalgic and melancholy, which suites the theme fine. I can imagine this being a perfect soundtrack to lazing under a tree in the summer time, especially the end - nothing but gentle ambience.


2. 808 State - Cubik
From the album 808:88:98.

Yah! Knocking y’all out of that pleasantry, here’s Eight-Oh F’n State’s big techno hit. Let’s kick out the jams with that guitar squeal, siren blasts, and big ugly synth hook. Everyone should know this, even if it’s the lesser Ferry Corsten cover (dude, what’d you do with the FUNK!?). What else is there to say?


3. Neil Young - Don’t Let It Bring You Down
From the album Live At Massey Hall 1971.

Hah! Called it last week, didn’t I? You know what is weird though? Every Young song that’s popped up has been a live version. And from the same period no less. This one then? Another typical folksy acoustic ditty, with some memorable lyrics such as “Cold wind ripping / down the allay at dawn / And the morning paper flies / Dead man lying / by the side of the road / With the daylight in his eyes.” The recording from which was taken is possibly one of the finest concerts Young put on in his early years, so it’s a great primer if you’re curious about his music.


4. Sven Väth - Ritual Of Life
From the album Accident In Paradise.

Goa! Well, not really, but Väth was inspired by the place and wound up writing this track along with Ralf Hildenbeutel way back. Like most old-school trance, it works the slow rhythmic build as spacey synths and ethnic samples weave about the background. Come to think of it, a lot of current techno does the same. I s’pose what separates this is the pseudo-spiritual vibes, but what can you expect from goa trance?


5. Original Rockers - Sexy Selector
From the compilation Ambient Dub Volume 1 - The Big Chill.

These guys would go on to bigger things as Rockers Hi-Fi, but from here an entire sub-genre of music was launched. Sure, ambient and reggae-dub had occasionally crossed paths over the years, yet it was Beyond’s series of compilations that solidified the music as something worth exploring further (mostly in the chill rooms). Here, laid-back beats groove as mellow tones and dubby effects bubble about. Kruder and Dorfmeister were definitely paying attention.


Well, that was a nice, rounded bunch - could even make a tidy mix-tape out of it. Perhaps I’ll do something like that one day, maybe as a special anniversary edition. How’s the 47th week sound?


Written by Sykonee, 2010. © All rights reserved.