Absoultely cracking mix that we posted on our sister blog 'Tourist' a few months back and thought it would benefit from an airing over here. A blistering, bitesize 40 minutes of New Yoik disco and funk from one half of Glasgows 'Optimo' duo. Mixing up some classic material with his own re-edits. This has been on blast today!!
Osborne - The Millennium Collection The Best of Joan Osborne (www.hoodoola.com)(AAC).rar. MONDKOPF 'RISING DOOM' CHARANJIT SINGH 'SYNTHESIZING - TEN RAGAS TO A DISCO BEAT' PREFUSE 73 / JAYTRAM / EPSTEIN GLASS CANDY.
Pulsallama - Oui Oui Loose Joints - Tell You Today (new shoes pt2) Material - Bustin' Out Bobby O - I'm So Hot For You Liquid Liquid - Flextone (JD Twitch re edit) Fun Boy Three - The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum (Twitch & Roland's 1999 Optimo mix) Slick - Space Bass (JD Twitch re edit) Don Armando's 2nd Avenue Rhumba Band - I Am An indian Too Aural Exciters - Spooks In Space (JD Twitch re edit). Probably best remembered for this 1983 ‘Disco-Not-Disco’ classic ‘Love Tempo’, Quando Quango released unique and influential records throughout the early eighties on Factory Records. The musical brain child of Mike Pickering and Hillegonda Rietveld, the band were formed in 1981 and quickly became one of label’s most trailblazing bands. With their abstract mix of disco, punk, new wave, world, jazz, reggae, they were dismissed by the UK music press for being too eclectic and weird. As with the yesterday’s SOTD, they first garnered attention from New York by none other than Larry Levan.
The band was even invited to play at the Paradise Garage in 1983 (which they duly did but got a lukewarm reception). They released their only album ‘Pigs & Battleships’ in 1985 to some critical acclaim. With the tracks perfectly complimenting the forthcoming explosion of house music, as well as providing anthems for the Hacienda, for whom Pickering would later become synonymous with (we’ll gloss over the whole M People thing). The band’s influence across the board really cannot be underestimated. Right then, another re-up from the 'Tourist' blog as we thought we'd bring you something a bit special to mark New Years Day.
As such, we bring you the thoroughly bloody excellent 'Psyche Out' mix from 'Optimo'. A free roaming mixtape that brilliantly alternates between acid house, sleazy funk & psychedelic rock. The mix was released on the equally bloody wonderful 'Eskimo' label back in 2005. The surprise was that hardly any time had passed since the critically acclaimed 'Kill The DJ' mix had come out, in fact it was a matter of a few months. Now without being cynical and accusing the chaps of trying to flood the market in a way not seen since Sasha & Digweed in the late 90's this seemed a rather strange move. That is until we find out that there was actually meant to be a nine month gap between the two mixes coming out but due to various problems holding up the release of 'Kill The DJ' they ended up coming out far closer together than anyone intended.Anyway, with 'Psyche Out' they wanted to do something very different from the 'Kill The DJ' mix and came up with the idea of doing something vaguely psychedelic in flavour.
They also wanted to let the tracks play a little longer which is why this mix has half the number of songs that 'Kill The DJ' did. Apart from a couple of tracks, almost everything on this mix is at least ten years old with a couple of songs dating back to the 1960's. The trade mark quality control that the Optimo lads are known for dictated that even with the 'Kill The DJ' album still warm on the shelves it would have been far easier for them to put together a bunch of what were then current 'killer' tracks and bang it out to make a quick buck, but as ever they wanted to ensure that everything on it was something they genuinely loved ensuring that it wouldn't date quickly.Coming only a few months after their How to Kill the DJ 2 mix, Psyche Out is indeed heavy. HTKTDJ was impossibly flashy and virtuosic - all jump cuts between scene, sound, and mood.
Psyche Out is less manic, more rolling, brooding, cosmic. If anything unites the 40 years of music here, it's the compulsive, hypnotic power of repetition. From psyche rock to krautrock to disco to acid house, the tribe vibe of dancing your arse off in a dark, smoky room (or zoning out) though that takes us dangerously close to Lazer Floyd territory so best to keep moving).
Still, that definitely does trump doing coke in the toilets and 'networking' all night long. Vapourspace - Gravitational arch of 10 2. Hawkwind - Hash cake '77 3. Silver Apples - Oscillations 4. Delia Gonzales and Gavin Russome - Rise (DFA mix) 5. Dorau / Kohncke - Durch die nacht (Geiger mix) 6.
Fast Eddie - Acid Thunder 7. Sinnamon - He's gonna take you home to his house (instrumental) 8. Herbie Hancock - Raindance 9. Sweet Exorcist - Mad Jack 10. Damien Donato - Life Support System 11. Throbbing Gristle - Hot on the heels of love (Carl Craig reversion) 12.
Hole In One - Game from the planet onchet 13. The Stranglers - Bear cage 14. Fingers - Washing machine 15. Chris and Cosey - Walking through heaven 16. Skatt Bros - Walk the night 17.
Acid Test - Test one / Simple Minds - Theme for great cities 18. The Step - Yeah you (Robert's mix) 19. Systeme Imaginique - The Sublime moment 20. The Temptations - Papa was a rollin' stone 21. Koenig Cylinders - Carousel 22. Dinosaur - Kiss me again 23.
Chamber Bros. Time has come today 24. Sons and Daughters - Johnny Cash.