Digital Kicks 021_A

I've been hard at work this month to bring you the latest Digital Kicks. In fact it is bigger and better than ever. So big in fact that this month it had to be split into two sides.

Move your cursor here to listen to Side A.

ID - DJ Kub
CODE - DK
SEQ_NO - 021:A
MIX_NAME - Digital Kicks
DESC - Chilloutdowntempogroovyloungecoverversionsoul-
drumnbassfunkpoprockjazz
LNGTH - 57:31
FMT - mp3
BR - 192 kbps
TOT_NO - 14
FILLER - 0

FILES - A: The 'Reverso' Side

01. Finger Painting - DJ Part
02. Promises (Reverso 68 Remix) - Badly Drawn Boy
03. Shine - Deep Dive Corp
04. Dizzy - The Royal Blue
05. A Hard Day's Night - Peggy Lee
06. Something's Got A Hold On Me - Etta James
07. Trespassing (Chalice Mix) - Cujo
08. Woman Of The Ghetto - Marlena Shaw
09. One More Time (Instrumental Version) - Peven Everett
10. There's Something On - 808 Funk
11. Drunk Chicken / America - U2
12 I've Gotta Get A Message To You - Bee Gees
13. I Love The Rain (Acid Rain Remix) - The Real Tuesday Weld
14. Petootie Pie - Ella Fitzgerald

DATA - Behind the notes

Finger Painting - DJ Part
Shadow Records started in 1995 as a sub-label of Instinct to focus on the more organic side of electronic music. They partnered with Ninja Tunes and released lots of cool, hip ready-made electronica perfect for chilling out and introducing to your mates. Just like this track by DJ Part.

Promises (Reverso 68 Remix) - Badly Drawn Boy
Recipe for a great track:

A. Take the vinyl/download release only song 'Promises' by Indie singer/songwriter Badly Drawn Boy
B. Take the remix duo Reverso 68 (otherwise known as Phil Mison and Pete Herbert)
C. Combine the two in a studio
D. Play and mix the song during a slow steady process of layering, building and (re)constructing
E. Repeat as necessary until you have a re-worked, chilled piece of music that soothes while maintaining a groove that makes you smile and nod your head
F. Give permission to Kenneth Bager to release the track on his fifth installment of the Luftkastellet series
G. Stock the CD in all good music shops with better quality and a discerning ear

Ladies and gentlemen we have a winner!

Shine - Deep Dive Corp
Deep Dive Corp are called Bjorn Gerhard and Peter Musebrink by their family and friends. They have quite a beefy output of albums and 12" singles on various finger-on-the-pulse type labels.

This track is lifted from the very same Luftkastellet compilation mentioned above. And I'm not sure which I like more - the woozy, drunken mumblings or the Pete Hook-esque bass line.

Dizzy - The Royal Blue
Grooooovy baby!..

'Dizzy' is a song that was recorded by the All-American, clean-cut, Buddy Holly-inspired, singer Tommy Roe in 1969. It has been the number one single in the US once and the UK on two occasions. The first time was in America in March of 1969 by Tommy Roe. The second was the same version in the UK in June of 1969. The third time was in the UK when the Wonder Stuff covered it with Vic Reeves in November 1991.

This is a lounge version, which I am fairly certain, did not go any where near the charts. I swiped it from a cheesy cocktail compilation that I picked up in America last summer, subsequently lost on the road and sub-subsequently found again when I got back to Dublin. It's a musical journey...

A Hard Day's Night - Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee was born Norma Deloris Egstrom in North Dakota in 1920. From her childhood years singing for food on the radio all the way through to her last performances in the 1990s, Lee was a wonder and a successful singer, songwriter and actress. She was the favourite singer of millions of people throughout the years, including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong and Judy Garland.

This cover of the Beatles' classic was also taken from the same cheesy lounge compilation as 'Dizzy' but originally appeared on Lee's 1965 album 'Pass Me By'. My advice to you is don't pass her by.

Something's Got A Hold On Me - Etta James
For the second month running, Etta is back with another killer tune. She's really just too much woman for only one track.

Trespassing (Chalice Mix) - Cujo
Cujo is the Drum 'n' Bass moniker of Brazilian DJ/producer Amon Tobin. He took the name Cujo from the Stephen King novel and he took the name Tobin from his Irish stepfather. After moving to England, he released several EPs and then signed with Ninja Tunes in 1996. Six critically acclaimed albums followed as well as his superb live shows. He is renowned for using sampling in his records to a degree that no one else can even come close to. But when he plays live he takes everything to another level. He only uses a 7.1 surround system for his gigs and with the use of layering and texturing techniques, usually makes the records he plays sound even better than the original studio versions. This track is a great introduction to his work.

Woman Of The Ghetto - Marlena Shaw
Marlena Shaw was signed by the legendary Soul label Chess in 1966 and released this song, probably her most famous, in 1969. Although the live version is probably the definitive one, I prefer this original studio version.

In 1972, Marlena moved to Blue Note and in doing so became the Jazz label's first female artist. When Disco began gathering steam in the mid 1970s, Shaw moved away from her Soul roots, adopted the new style and released the very first 12" single for Blue Note.

The live version of this song from the 'Live At Montreaux' album was sampled by St. Germaine and used for his song 'Rose Rouge'.

One More Time (Instrumental Version) - Peven Everett
Peven Everett is a singer from Chicago who is probably best known for singing 'Gabriel', one of the seminal House records from the 1990s, with producer (and mate) Roy Davis Jr. The song sold over 250,000 copies and has been referred to as a 'classic' by nearly every single DJ who wants to be taken seriously (including me) and sound like they know what they are talking about when it comes to House music.

I heard 'One More Time' on Sirius satellite station #35, otherwise known as 'Sirius Chill'. A quick search on emusic.com brought up a link and in only thirty seconds I had purchased the song. Is there anything the interweb can't do?

There's Something On - 808 Funk
808 - refers to:
The Roland TR (Transistor Rhythm) 808 Rhythm Composer drum machine. The TR-808 was only produced from 1980 - 1984 and (by most accounts) was not a very good machine. It sounded nothing like a real drum. But it was cheap, featured more sounds, had more controls and offered more memory than it's predecessors.

It was embraced and only used by a handful of musicians during it's production. Perhaps the most famous of them was Marvin Gaye, who used the Roland TR-808 on his song 'Sexual Healing' in 1982.

Ironically, when the machine had gone by the wayside in the late 1980s someone discovered that it could actually produce a very deep sub-bass sound. Exactly what early House and Hip Hop producers were looking for. Enter the first phase of DJ and dance culture...

Funk - refers to:
a) body odor or the smell of intercourse
b) the blend of soul, jazz and R&B into a slow, groovy, loose, riff-oriented form of music
c) the genre that was started by James Brown in the mid-1960s, expanded into jazz territory by George Clinton and Parliment in the early 1970s, copied by EVERYONE (and their brothers) in the mid-to-late-1970s and then replaced by machines (including the TR-808) in the early 1980s

808 Funk pay a proper tribute to both parts of their name with this tune.

Drunk Chicken / America - U2
Bono is known, and often derided for, his incessant rambling about most things political. But it is his incessant rambling that actually creates this song, which is an out-take from the Joshua Tree recording sessions and can be found on the 20th Anniversary Collector's Box Set.

In the song he speaks/mutters, complaining about America and to America. But by the end of the song (about 90 seconds later) he admits that despite all of it's shortcomings, America is actually an incredible place that he can't stop being obsessed about.

I'm not sure what a chicken has to do with it and (it seems) he may, or may not, have been drunk when he recorded it.

I've Gotta Get A Message To You - Bee Gees
Before the polyester, gold chains and bad hair cuts the Bee Gees were regular guys. Before leading the way during the Disco tidal wave in the late 1970s they were a Soft Rock band in the 1960s. And a good one too.

The three brothers, Barry, Maurice and Robin, grew up in Australia, where they sang and performed at numerous resorts while releasing a couple of singles a year during their adolescence.

Before returning to their home in England in the late 1960s, a demo of theirs found it's way into the hands of the Beatles manager, Brian Epstein. A five year contract with Polydor followed and the hits started flowing. This tune is from their third album and went to #1 in the UK and #8 in the States.

During the next 35 years, the band would go on to sell an amazing 225 million albums, placing them only behind Elvis, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Garth Brooks and Paul McCartney in all-time record sales.

I Love The Rain (Acid Rain Mix) - The Real Tuesday Weld
The real Tuesday Weld was an actress born in the 1940s and who starred in a film about rock 'n' roll called Rock, Rock, Rock. She also acted beside Elvis, Steve McQueen, Bing Crosby and Jack Nicholson (to name a but a few). She also won a Golden Globe Award.

This Tuesday Weld is a British band fronted by singer Stephen Coates. The band are named after the actress because Coates had a dream about her one night. His nocturnal meanderings influenced him and led to a very unusual, offbeat jazzy cabaret-style of electronica music. One that Coates refers to, himself, as "antique beat".

My only problem with the song is that I, unlike Stephen, do not love the rain.

Petootie Pie - Ella Fitzgerald
Q: What do you get when you combine Ella Fitzgerald, who was called the "First Lady of Song" with Louis Jordan, who was called the "King of the Jukebox"?

A: A hit record! The two of them sang together and this song and it went to #3 in the charts in 1946. With that much talent, how could it not have been a hit?

Digital Kicks 021_B

More Digital Kicks. Move your cursor here to listen to Side B.

ID - DJ Kub
CODE - DK
SEQ_NO - 021:B
MIX_NAME - Digital Kicks
DESC - Chilloutjazzhouseloungepopdowntempocheesyswing-
nudiscodeephousetechno
LNGTH - 61:57
FMT - mp3
BR - 192 kbps
TOT_NO - 12
FILLER - 0

FILES - B: The 'Rosemary' Side

01. Shake - Deepak Sharma & Dieter Krause
02. Sax - H & H Soul Survivors
03. Easy Love - Louie Austen
04. Love Goes (Where My Rosemary Goes) - Wayne Newton
05. On And On - Eon
06. Never Gonna Give You Up (Cake Mix) - Rick Astley
07. Winchester Cathedral - Nelson Riddle
08. Fast Freeze - My My
09. Bless You (Album Version) - Lulu Rouge
10. Community (Fish Go Deep Vocal Mix) - Audio Soul Project
11. New Way - From P6027. 5:05 (Selway Lightwave Remix) - Llana

DATA - Behind the notes

Shake - Deepak Sharma & Dieter Krause
In 2004 Deepak Sharma mixed and released a compilation called 'Boogaloo, Brooklyn, 3:23pm'. It contained a track that he loved by Dieter Krause. The two met, became friends and started a label together. Hidden Recordings doesn't conform to rules or guidelines. The two boys release whatever they want. Whatever they love. That means music from all different genres. Minimal to Deep. Chill to Tech. House to Techno. 'Shake' is an absolutely brilliant track. Here's to being different and not sticking to formulas. Here's to Hidden Recordings.

Sax - H & H Soul Survivors
There's not much about these guys on the world wide net web. They have a myspace page but details about them are sketchy at best. It seems they met about seven years ago. They shared a love of old Soul, Funk and Jazz. They shared the same influences such as Herbie Hancock, Earth Wind & Fire and Quincy Jones. This track does just what it says on the tin - combines sax with
smooth, chilled House.

Easy Love - Louie Austen
Louie Austen is the Austrian, classically-trained, bar-crooning jazz singer who moved into electronic music a few years ago - by accident. He meet a producer in the studio who thought that contrasting his Frank Sinatra(ish) voice with experimental electronic tracks would yield some good results. And it did.

Austen is quoted as saying, "I decided there and then to resign from all other jobs and to completely dedicate myself to this new project for two years. If I'd find myself on the street after two years, I'd have to go back to my old jobs. But I wanted to try under all circumstances - I simply had to."

Five albums, three EPs and numerous singles later, he is still working at his 'new' job. His tracks are played in clubs all over Europe and have been on numerous compilations, including Luftkastellet and Hotel Costes. There is something slightly OTT about his stuff but it works. And that is all that really matters.

Love Goes (Where My Rosemary Goes) - Wayne Newton
From one kitschy crooner to another, the mix moves into Wayne Newton's cover of 'Love Goes'.

Newton was born in 1942 and by the age of six was able to play the piano, guitar and steel guitar. He was discovered by an agent while in secondary school and was whisked away to Las Vegas for two weeks worth of shows with his brother. He ended up performing there for five years, doing six shows a day!

He worked with every single entertainment icon in the 1960s and 1970s. He was given a headline show at the Flamingo and became part owner of the Aladdin Hotel in 1980. By 1994, he had performed his 25,000 solo show in Las Vegas.

But it all ended in tears and bankruptcy when he sued NBC for libel and went over twenty million dollars into debt.

Newton has remained a prominent figure in Vegas and still performs there with a big band as well as consistently appearing on TV and playing festivals around the world.

On And On - Eon
Google these guys and you will get over 9000 results. None of which seem to have anything to do with this song. There's information about a leading energy company, a geological designated period of time, sponsors of a biathlon World Cup, virtual reality software, outdoor decking systems, business banking and financial services. Well, the list just goes on and on...

Never Gonna Give You Up (Cake Mix) - Rick Astley
This song (and others like it) remind me of my youth and the state I was in at that stage of my life. It takes me back to a time in my life when I didn't judge or analyze music. I just liked it because I liked it. I wasn't concerned with whether it was cool or not.

Clearly this song was not (and is not) cool. But I like it. Call it a guilty pleasure.

And the best part is that, as you listen to it, you can take comfort in the fact that Rick will never:

Give you up
Let you down
Run around and desert you
Make you cry
Say goodbye
Tell a lie or hurt you

Winchester Cathedral - Nelson Riddle
I could probably dedicate an entire blog to what Nelson Riddle achieved during his life. He was a bandleader, arranger and orchestrator whose career spanned nearly 40 years. During that time he worked with just about everyone who had a song to sing.

'Winchester Cathedral' is a song originally released by The New Vaudeville Band in 1966. Here Riddle does his loung-y, hammond-y, string-y interpretation of the tune. To great effect.

Fast Freeze - My My
My My are actually three dudes. Two Germans and one Englishman.

Carsten Klemann was born in Berlin and started DJing in 1999. His favourite artists include the Velvet Underground, Fleetwood Mac and Kate Bush.

Lee Jones was born in Essex and began his life in music as Hefner. He moved to Berlin in 2002 and signed as part of My My to the Playhouse label in 2004.

Nick Hoppner DJed around Hamburg and Berlin. He used to work as an editor for Groove magazine. He is also a bit of a metal head and listens to Slayer, Anthrax and Metallica.

Despite the different tastes and backgrounds, the three lads prove that the sum is usually greater than it's parts.

Bless You (Album Version) - Lulu Rouge
Lulu Rouge are a couple of dudes on top of the Scandinavian Chill Electronica scene. They hang out with Kenneth Bager and record for Music For Dreams.

If you check out their story on bigchill.net, you will see them described as:

'Lulu Rouge is vibrant and playful yet extremely well orchestrated deep dubbed chill that always flies over the neighborhoods of Basic Channel meets Massive Attack before taking off, pushing the frontier further out into the big vast indefinite space.'

Strange days indeed...

Community (Fish Go Deep Vocal Mix) - Audio Soul Project
Audio Soul Project is Mazi Namvar. He's a prolific producer, having released 80 records in only five years. He's a remixer. He's based in Chicago. He's DJed for over ten years. And he has two record labels.

Fish Go Deep are two Irish lads, who have been resident DJs at a club called Sweat in Cork.

Combine the two artists and you have a BIG track. This song has been on just about every single dance compilation released in the last two years. And yer man (on the track) offers some good advice about music as well. Can you dig it?

New Way - From P60
Zoltan Nagy brings us deep House from Hungary. I first heard this track on a compilation called 'Koh Samui', named after the island and reflective of the underground club scene there. It's best described as music for your body and your mind.

5:05 (Selway Lightwave Remix) - Llana
Llana Ospina is a producer. John Selway is a DJ, remixer, producer and all around electronic-type music guru. He has played, recorded and released just about every kind of dance music you can think of. This song would probably be classified as Techno but it touches on deep, minimal, tech and chill during it's 7 minutes and 58 seconds.