00:00:00 1 YMO vs. The Orb – Tong Poo (House Of Bright Colours Mix) 00:10:43 2 Robbie Williams – I Started A Joke (I Started An Orb Mix) 00:14:45 3 Wendy & Lisa – Staring At The Sun (Blinding Mix) 00:23:11 4 Primal Scream – Higher Than the Sun (Higher Than The Kite Mix) 00:31:57 5 The Orb – Towers of Dub 00:46:34 6 Pop Will Eat Itself – Home (Home Sweet Home Orb Remix) 00:55:23 7 The Orb – Montagne d’or (Der gute Berg) 01:04:51 8 Lisa Stansfield – Time To Make You Mine (In My Dreams Mix) 01:14:47 9 The Orb – Plateau 01:27:46 10 The Orb – Supernova At The End Of the Universe 01:38:58 11 The Orb – Backside of the Moon (Under Water Deep Space) 01:44:23 12 Penguin Cafe Orchestra – Music For A Found Harmonium (Pandaharmoniumorb Mix) 01:53:54 13 Can – Halleluwa (Halleluwa Orbus 2) 01:56:58 14 Haruomi Hosono – Laughter Meditation (The Orb) 02:05:25 15 Jam On The Mutha – Hotel California (Orbitally Ambient Mix) 02:14:00 16 Killing Joke – Requiem ( A Floating Leaf Always Reaches The Sea Mix) 02:21:23 17 The Orb – Valley 02:27:25 18 Fortran 5 – Groove (The Herbal Supper Mix) 02:35:02 19 Miranda Sex Garden – Gush Forth My Tears (The First Steppes Mix) 02:39:44 20 The Orb – O.O.B.E. 02:52:08 21 The Art Of Noise – Art Of Love (Youth & Orb Mix) 02:57:02 22 The Orb – Star 6 & 7 8 9 03:04:30 23 The Orb – Outlands 03:11:52 24 Erasure – Ship of Fools (Orbital Southsea Isles of Holy Beats mix) 03:19:20 25 Zoë – Moonsister (Lunar Dub 1) 03:26:04 26 The Orb – Perpetual Dawn (Solar Flare Extended Mix) 03:32:43 27 The Orb – Little Fluffy Clouds 03:39:18 28 System 7 – Davy Jones’ Locker (ft. Alex Paterson) 03:47:43 29 The Orb – Earth (Gaia) 03:56:40 30 Dave Stewart – Lily Was Here (Space Centre Medical Hum) 04:04:23 31 Sun Electric – O’Locco (Orbital Therapy, Part 1)
00:00:00 1 The Orb – Pomme Fritz (Meat ‘N Veg) 00:08:56 2 The Orb – Spanish Castles in Space (Castles In Goa Mix) 00:17:09 3 The Orb – Once More (FT Explore Satan Mix) 00:20:45 4 The Orb – Majestic 00:33:15 5 Pato Banton – Beams of Light (Depths Of An Ocean Lovemix) 00:38:23 6 Delkom – Superjack (Orbital Infusion 2000) 00:44:51 7 The Orb – Into The Fourth Dimension: Essenes Beyond Control 00:51:17 8 Paradise X – Too Much (Start & Depart From Paradise Mix) 00:56:53 9 The Orb – Blue Room 01:16:07 10 Time Unlimited – Men Of Wadodem (Orbital Mix) Ultra Records 01:18:35 11 鈴木慶一 – Satellite Serenade (Trans Asian Express mix) 01:30:44 12 Marathon – Movin (Ambientappella Live Mix) 01:40:12 13 The KLF – 3am Eternal (Blue Danube Orbital Mix) 01:46:43 14 Depeche Mode – Happiest Girl (Orbital mix) 01:54:29 15 Zodiac Youth – Fast Forward The Future (Bucket & Bong Mix) 02:01:18 16 West India Company – O Je Suis Seul (Orient Express Mix) 02:08:18 17 Fortran 5 – Love Baby (Electropathy Mix) 02:13:31 18 Tangerine Dream – Towards The Evening Star (Mandarin Cream Mix) 02:22:38 19 System 7 – Sunburst (Orb Remix) 02:30:03 20 Wir – So Slow (The Orb In Atlas Mix) 02:36:16 21 System 7 – Miracle (Orb Remix) 02:41:58 22 The Orb – Close Encounters 02:52:01 23 Meat Beat Manifesto – Radio Babylon (Beach Blanket Bimboland Mix) 03:03:57 24 The Orb – Peace In The Middle East (Sea Of Tranquility Mix) 03:09:59 25 The Orb – Oxbow Lakes 03:18:27 26 The Orb – U.F.Orb 03:22:46 27 The Orb – Assassin (Radio 7″ Edit) 03:26:02 28 The Orb – A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From the Centre of the Ultraworld (Orbital Dance Mix) 03:34:09 29 System 7 – A Cool Dry Place 03:41:42 30 Gary Numan – Jo The Waiter (Bon Apétit Mix) 03:51:00 31 Maurizio – Ploy (An Island Of Mud Mix) 04:02:46 32 Mystic Knights – Ragga-Nam-Poiser (Waves Of God By The Orb) 04:06:09 33 Readymade – Ambient State 04:07:02 34 The Orb – White River Junction 04:17:00 35 The Grid – Crystal Clear (Crystal Clear Water Revival Mix) 04:23:51 36 Front 242 – Crapage (The Turd Mix By The Orb)
00:00:00 1 The Art Of Noise – Love Beat 00:05:14 2 The Art Of Noise – The Spring Flowers 00:06:59 3 The Art Of Noise – (Three Fingers Of) Love 00:11:21 4 The Art Of Noise – Love Beat 00:15:25 5 The Art Of Noise – Love Beat 00:16:22 6 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – The Ballad Of 32 (Alternate Mix) 00:26:57 7 Pet Shop Boys – Luna Park 00:31:58 8 Cher – The Gunman 00:37:03 9 Pet Shop Boys – Numb 00:41:26 10 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – The Power Of Love (Instrumental Mix ”…Best Listened to By Lovers”) 00:45:31 11 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – The Power Of Love (Instrumental Mix ”Singlette”) 00:48:00 12 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – The Power Of Love (Instrumental Mix ”Album”) 00:53:12 13 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – The Power Of Love (Twelve Inches Mix ”Leave The Rest To The Lazy”) 01:01:57 14 Pet Shop Boys – Indefinite Leave To Remain 01:05:05 15 The Art Of Noise – Moments In Love 01:06:18 16 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – ”Who Than Devised The Torment” 01:06:47 17 The Art Of Noise – Moments In Love 01:21:43 18 The Art Of Noise – Moments In Love (7″ Master Rejected) 01:25:19 19 The Art Of Noise – Moments In Love 01:34:51 20 The Art Of Noise – Moments In Love (Beaten) 01:41:28 21 The Art Of Noise – One Finger Of Love 01:41:35 22 The Art Of Noise – Approximate Mood Swing No: 2 01:43:47 23 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – My Uncle Is A Monster 01:44:21 24 The Art Of Noise – The Autumn Leaves 01:46:42 25 Pet Shop Boys – I Made My Excuses and Left 01:51:12 26 The Art Of Noise – Momento 01:53:13 27 The Art Of Noise – Damn It All! 01:54:08 28 Marc Almond – Trois Chansons de Bilitis – Extract 01:54:41 29 Propaganda – Dream Within A Dream (Within A Dream) 01:59:20 30 Propaganda – Dream Within A Dream 02:08:09 31 Malcolm McLaren – Legba 02:11:45 32 The Art Of Noise – In The Balance (Across The Century) 02:15:19 33 The Art Of Noise – Rapt: In the Evening Air 02:19:11 34 The Korgis – Don’t Look Back 02:23:34 35 Grace Jones – Jones the Rhythm 02:28:53 36 Grace Jones – The Frog & the Princess 02:32:13 37 Dollar – Videotheque (Alternative Trevor Horn 1982 Mix) 02:35:25 38 Mint Juleps – Girl (Instrumental) 02:40:07 39 t.A.T.u. – All the Things She Said 02:43:01 40 MC Tunes – Pressing On 02:48:33 41 Malcolm McLaren – Soweto 02:51:47 42 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Ferry Cross The Mersey (And Here I’ll Stay) 02:55:50 43 MC Tunes – Exactly What You Made Me 02:59:48 44 Bryan Ferry – Dance With Life (The Brilliant Light) (Full Version) 03:05:41 45 Propaganda – Femme Fatale (The Orchid) 03:09:16 46 Propaganda – Femme Fatale (The Woman With The Orchid) 03:12:01 47 Anne Pigalle – Hé Stranger (Parts I, II and III) 03:19:10 48 The Art Of Noise – And What Have You Done With My Body, God? 03:22:28 49 MC Tunes – Style Is Poetry 03:26:09 50 Philip Jap – Brain Dance 03:29:35 51 Malcolm McLaren – El San Juanera 03:31:11 52 Tom Marshall – Film Star 03:34:42 53 The Buggles – We Can Fly from Here – Part 2 03:38:52 54 Chromium – Castaway 03:42:13 55 Chromium – Star To Star
00:00:00 Marc Almond – Prelude 00:00:22 Marc Almond – My Hand Over My Heart (Grit And Glitter Mix) 00:07:36 The Mint Juleps – Madness Magic 00:11:12 The Mint Juleps – Every Kinda People (12″ Version ) 00:17:20 The Buggles – Inner City 00:20:25 Grace Jones – The Fashion Show 00:23:52 Grace Jones – Ladies And Gentlemen – Miss Grace Jones 00:28:43 The Art of Noise – Metaforce 00:32:04 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Two Tribes (Introduced Via The Piano Of Anne Dudley) 00:32:43 The Art Of Noise – Bored On A Sunday 00:37:08 Pet Shop Boys – Casanova in Hell 00:39:51 Godley & Creme – Cry (Extended Remix) 00:46:21 Spandau Ballet – Steal 00:50:59 The Art Of Noise – A Time To Fear (Who’s Afraid) 00:55:01 The Art of Noise – The Movement Of Desire 00:56:44 Dusty Springfield – Baby Blue (12″ Version) 01:01:57 John Howard – I Can Breathe Again 01:04:52 Marc Almond – The Days of Pearly Spencer 01:09:10 MC Tunes – Tunes Blues 01:13:01 The Art Of Noise – (St)art Of Noise 01:13:53 Propaganda – The Last Word (Strength To Dream) 01:16:40 Propaganda – Dr. Mabuse 01:26:47 Propaganda – Dr. Mabuse (Abuse) 01:29:57 Propaganda – The Lesson 01:34:02 The Art Of Noise – Close (To The Edit) 01:39:20 The Art Of Noise – Close (To The Edge) (12″ Mix) 01:44:32 The Art Of Noise – Close Up 01:51:57 The World’s Famous Supreme Tea – World’s Famous (Radio I.D.) 01:54:45 Malcolm McLaren – World’s Famous 01:55:36 Malcolm McLaren – Buffalo Love 01:59:17 Act – Absolutely Immune II (Trevor’s Twelve Inch Mix) 02:04:13 The Art Of Noise – The Reflection Of A Reflection 02:08:09 The Art Of Noise – Motive 02:12:38 Trevor Horn – In Chaos And Confusion 02:15:18 Propaganda – P-Machinery (The Voiceless Beta Wraparound Edit) 02:19:14 Propaganda – (The Beta Wrap Around Of) p:Machinery 02:23:04 The Art Of Noise – ‘To The Death… For Life’ 02:24:15 The Buggles – On TV 02:26:56 Malcolm McLaren – Buffalo Gals 02:31:18 The Art Of Noise – Beat Box (Diversion One) 02:39:11 The Art Of Noise – Beat Box 02:43:23 The Art Of Noise – Diversions 5 02:46:37 The Art Of Noise – Donna 02:47:51 Propaganda – Im Stahlnetz des Mabuse 02:50:50 The Art Of Noise – The Ambassadors Reel: Oobly 02:51:34 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – War (”World War! III” Mix-05-84) 03:00:33 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – War (…And Hide) 03:05:43 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Rage Hard (Young Person’s Guide Into The 12 Inch Mix Version) 03:17:44 Propaganda – Sorry for Laughing (12″ Mix) 03:23:28 MC Tunes – Five Minutes In Paradise 03:28:03 The Art Of Noise – A Time To Hear (We’re Listening!) 03:29:02 The Art Of Noise – Snapshot 03:30:07 The Art Of Noise – Sign Of Relief 03:31:08 The Pretenders – I’m Not In Love
00:00:00 1 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – History (Excerpt) 00:00:50 2 Cher – The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore (Trevor Horn Remix) 00:04:25 3 Propaganda – (Echo Of) Frozen Faces 00:14:27 4 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Welcome To The Pleasuredome (Urban Mix) 00:16:56 5 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Welcome To The Pleasuredome 00:29:14 6 Propaganda – Testament Two 00:29:23 7 Propaganda – The Murder Of Love 00:34:38 8 Malcolm McLaren – Punk It Up 00:38:13 9 Malcolm Mclaren – First Couple Out 00:45:23 10 Malcolm McLaren – Duck Rock Cheer 00:52:33 11 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Watusi Love Juicy 00:56:00 12 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Relax (Sex Mix 2) 01:03:44 13 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Relax (Sex Mix 3) 01:11:14 14 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Relax (Sex Mix ”From Dry To Moist”) 01:26:38 15 Pet Shop Boys – Miracles 01:30:02 16 MC Tunes – Me And Baby Brother 01:33:38 17 MC Tunes – Step Back For The Maniac 01:36:16 18 Mint Juleps – Docklands (12″ Version) 01:40:48 19 The World’s Famous Supreme Team – D’Ya Like Scratchin’? (Special Version) 01:44:01 20 ABC – Tears Are Not Enough 01:47:21 21 MC Tunes – Juice Box 01:51:34 22 MC Tunes – Damage By Stereo 01:54:40 23 The Art Of Noise – Realization 01:56:15 24 Anne Pigalle – Why Does It Have To Be This Way? 02:00:23 25 ABC – Date Stamp 02:03:48 26 Dollar – Hand Held in Black and White (Alternative Trevor Horn 1981 Mix) 02:06:53 27 The Art Of Noise – Who’s Afraid Of Scale? 02:11:35 28 The Art Of Noise – Who’s Afraid (Of The Art Of Noise) 02:15:22 29 Propaganda – The Chase (The Goodnight Mix) 02:19:12 30 Pet Shop Boys – It’s Alright 02:28:02 31 Malcolm McLaren – Double Dutch 02:32:25 32 MC Tunes – Dance Yourself to Death (Radio Edit) 02:35:13 33 ABC – All Of My Heart 02:41:10 34 Marc Almond – What Is Love? 02:44:32 35 Paul McCartney – Ou Est Le Soleil 02:48:28 36 The Art of Noise – The Uncertainty Of Syrup 02:49:13 37 ABC – The Look Of Love, Pt.4 02:50:00 38 ABC – The Look Of Love, Pt.1 02:53:27 39 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Black Night White Light 02:56:52 40 ABC – Show Me 03:00:54 41 The Buggles – I Am A Camera 03:04:59 42 Chromium – Time Traveler 03:08:23 43 The Art Of Noise – Un Tendre Et Triste Regret 03:10:55 44 ABC – Overture 03:14:46 45 The Art Of Noise – How To Kill 03:17:57 46 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Including The Last Voice 03:18:48 47 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – The World Is My Oyster (Scrapped) 03:20:29 48 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – The World Is My Oyster Snatch Of Fury (Stay) 03:22:17 49 Propaganda – Testament Three 03:22:39 50 Propaganda – Before You Start You Already Bleed (Testament Four) 03:23:09 51 Grace Jones – The Crossing (Ooh the Action…)
00:00:00 1 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Bang 00:01:14 2 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – (For The Victims Of Ravishment)) 00:01:44 3 Propaganda – Testament Eight 00:03:44 4 Spandau Ballet – Instinction (Edit) 00:06:53 5 ABC – Poison Arrow (Jazz Mix) 00:14:11 6 808 State – Plan 9 (Radio Edit by Trevor Horn) 00:16:44 7 Barry Manilow – Could It Be Magic (Trevor Horn Dance Mix) 00:21:36 8 Pet Shop Boys – It’s Alright (Extended Version) 00:29:27 9 MC Tunes versus 808 State – The Only Rhyme That Bites (7″ Version) 00:32:51 10 ABC – 4 Ever 2 Gether 00:38:04 11 Spandau Ballet – Soul Boy (1980 Mix) 00:41:43 12 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Happy Hi! (All In The Body) 00:42:38 13 ABC – Poison Arrow 00:45:52 14 ABC – Valentine’s Day 00:49:58 15 Pet Shop Boys – Left To My Own Devices 00:57:16 16 Pet Shop Boys – Left To My Own Devices (Disco Mix) 01:08:41 17 Marc Almond – Jacky 01:13:07 18 Propaganda – Thought Part I 01:14:50 19 Pet Shop Boys – The Sound Of The Atom Splitting 01:20:16 20 Chromium – Caribbean Air Control 01:23:19 21 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – One February Friday (The Last Voice Of Brothers) 01:24:17 22 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Two Tribes “Lovers and Haters” (Annihilation) 01:33:13 23 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Two Tribes (Carnage Mix) 01:40:27 24 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Two Tribes (Hibakusha) 01:47:14 25 ABC – Many Happy Returns 01:50:45 26 Chromium – Beam On 01:56:08 27 Chromium – Fly On UFO 02:00:03 28 The Buggles – Video Killed The Radio Star 02:04:22 29 Pet Shop Boys – God Willing 02:05:21 30 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Disneyland 02:08:53 31 Trevor Horn – Peace in Blue 02:09:43 32 t.A.T.u. – Not Gonna Get Us 02:13:37 33 The Art Of Noise – This is Your Life (Tk. – Tch Vox) 02:15:21 34 Dollar – Give Me Back My Heart (Alternative Trevor Horn 1982 Mix) 02:20:29 35 The Art Of Noise – Dreaming In Colour 02:24:42 36 The Art Of Noise – Dreaming In Colour (Wet Dream) 02:30:22 37 The Art Of Noise – Dreaming In Colour (Wet Dream) (feat. David’s Daughters) 02:36:09 38 Chromium – Forces Of Light 02:38:23 39 The Buggles – Elstree 02:42:35 40 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – The Only Star In Heaven 02:46:33 41 Lisa Stansfield – When Love Breaks Down (Alternate Version) 02:50:41 42 Trevor Horn – Future Boyfriends 02:54:29 43 Dollar – Mirror Mirror (Mon Amour) (Alternative Trevor Horn 1981 Mix) 02:57:56 44 Spandau Ballet – This Is The Love 03:01:33 45 Interplay – Pretty Face (Zizi Jeanmaire) 03:04:05 46 The Buggles – The Plastic Age 03:08:25 47 The Buggles – Astroboy (And The Proles On Parade) 03:12:40 48 Malcolm McLaren – Jive My Baby 03:18:17 49 Philip Jap – Save Us 03:21:09 50 Chromium – Radar Angels 03:25:01 51 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Krisco Kisses 03:27:54 52 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Wish (The Lads Were Here) 03:30:37 53 Propaganda – Duel (Bitter Sweet) 03:38:02 54 Malcolm McLaren – Obatala 03:41:17 55 Malcolm McLaren – Merengue 03:45:24 56 The Buggles – Technopop 03:49:32 57 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – San Jose (The Way) 03:52:16 58 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Born To Run 03:56:03 59 The Art Of Noise – Born On A Sunday 04:00:28 60 The Art Of Noise – Driving Rain Plus 04:06:45 61 The Buggles – I Love You (Miss Robot) 04:11:17 62 The Art Of Noise – Man And Boy 04:16:02 63 The Buggles – Johnny On The Monorail 04:21:01 64 The Art Of Noise – Identity Crisis 04:26:28 65 The Art Of Noise – Dans Le Style D’une Sarabande, Mais Sans Rigeur 04:33:45 66 The Art Of Noise – The Holy Egoism of Genius
In discussion with Lerosa on “Electric Café” by Kraftwerk (1986).
There was „Computer World“, then the „Tour de France“ single, then a silence of several years. I was impatiently waiting for their next move, and it kept getting renamed and postponed. Then the first thing I heard at last was „Boing Boom Tschak“. I thought that was pure genius. I suppose you were already a fan before, too. How did you experience that comeback and what did you think of it?
My first encounter with Kraftwerk was when I was 14, the video for „”Musique Non Stop”“ premiered on MTV Italy, with its groundbreaking CGI it was unique at the time. The only similar music I might have had come across then was probably Art Of Noise’s „Close To The Edit“ and Herbie Hancock’s „Rock It“. I didn’t have access to a lot of music as I had no older clued-in sibling nor were my parents into music, perhaps bar my mom who loves her Charles Aznavour and Lucio Dalla, so to be honest I had no idea who these guys were but I was blown away. To me this was new music from a new band! Sometime later I made friends with a guy from Bolzano who told me to check out the „Breakdance“ movie to see Turbo do a routine to „Tour De France“, a freaky song with electric pulses that sounded like a bike chain. After a few months of looking for it I watched the movie, and heard that, too. A year later on holiday in Rimini I shoplifted „Autobahn“ and „Radio Activity“ and I loved both but also not understood them very well as they packed a lot of references to more experimental music I wasn’t quite well versed as a 16 year old. It wasn’t until much, much later that I finally heard „Computer World“. I don’t think I have heard the first two albums yet. I think for a lot of kids back then “Musique Non Stop” was their first meeting with Kraftwerk. Like a lot of people I was a bit disappointed with „Electric Café“ at first. I thought the A-Side was a wonderful statement, but the B-Side lacked the same consequence. I liked the sounds, but I was not that impressed with the tunes. But it has grown on me immensely, starting only shortly after.
Is this album perfectly flawed, a good example for an album that does not lose its impact due to shortcomings?
I think after getting the 12“ for “Musique Non Stop” and eventually finding the LP I too might have been not very enamoured with B-side with its cringey songs (in English, that’s the version I had). It was too much like the music on Italian commercial day time radio and I was being drawn to these new sounds, Hip Hop and early House, that were starting to seep in through the late night radio stations and occasional afternoon clubs we had in Italy for 14 to 17 year olds. I wanted to hear this new Rap music and these new weird electronic House beats, I had no time for the „Telephone Call“ etc. Nevertheless I was charmed by them as the melodies and arrangement were very catchy.I am not sure if I ever thought of it as flawed; it felt like a cohesive whole, just one where I failed to connect the dots, which is how I normally felt whenever I heard something new that really alienated me, say Peter Gabriel „IV“. I just always thought I didn’t know enough to understand it rather than thinking, „oh this is a bit shit“. I think it is insecurity that made me look at it with respect rather than try to judge it as an album. I don’t think I owned many albums back then at all.Whichever way it is, the B-side songs eventually have become the ones I play most often, especially „Telephone Call“, which I love very much. And likewise I love a lot strange pop albums like Peter Gabriel’s „IV“, or Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s debut album or indeed „Who’s Afraid Of The Art Of Noise“.
Ralf Hütter had a severe cycling accident that slowed the work on „Electric Café“ down considerably. Do you think the flaws of the album are there because they rushed proceedings to not lose more momentum?
Who knows. I’d like to think that this was delivered the way it is quite intentionally to showcase the connection between the new sounds and beats of the A-side and the more traditional songs on the B-side, all held together by the electronic sounds. I think I always looked at this record like that; as a sort bridge between the old and the new.
The working title of the album was „Techno Pop“, and they even renamed the album later on. But isn’t the B-Side more Techno Pop than the A-Side? Could’t they have made one album that was pop, and one that was pure rhythm?
Well, I am sure that back then I probably wished the same, I would have loved more of the A-side but in hindsight maybe that would have really made it too niche and austere an album to their ears, coming as they were from a mixed background of musicality and experimentation, I suppose they were trying to find a balance on one record rather than being too pragmatic and split it into two separate entities.
I once imagined that „Sex Object“ was actually a first glimpse of a whole other concept album that was neglected, just for the lack of a better explanation why it was included. Especially the lyrics seemed to clash with their usual man machine infatuation, they are very human. As are the lyrics of „The Telephone Call“. How human are Kraftwerk?
I think they are very human and that’s why they are so popular to this day. Their appeal goes way beyond the mere “electronic music” tag, it doesn’t rest on the laurels of introducing a lot of complex machinery to music. They articulated the new relationship between humans and the technological world with sounds that managed to be extremely human and extremely non-human. Quite the trick. Read the rest of this entry »
In discussion with Trevor Jackson on “Illmatic” by Nas (1994).
Can you remember the way you were introduced to “Illmatic”? Was it love at first sight?
Hip-hop was the main music I listened to in the early ‘90s. I devoured every new hip-hop release that came out. I’d been aware of Nas since 1991 when he guest-starred on a Main Source track called “Live at the Barbecue”, which was produced by Large Professor, one of my favorite producers. He was incredible on that. It was a great time for hip-hop. So many incredible hip-hop albums came out between ’91 and ’94. In 1992, Nas put out a single on Ruffhouse called “Halftime”, which was a track from the soundtrack of Zebrahead. That single totally blew me away. It still is one of my favorite hip-hop singles of all time. By that time, people in the hip-hop world were really aware of Nas, so when the album dropped in 1994, it wasn’t love at first sight, to be honest. It was a surprise.
You were expecting something big?
Yeah. All the real hip-hop heads were, not only because he was an incredible MC, but also because of the producers on the album, which were the cream of the crop at the time.
How were all the luminaries who played a part in the process apparent on the album? How would you characterize their input?
The thing about hip-hop at that time—which was very different than it is now—everyone strove to have their own sound. Nobody wanted to sound like anybody else. Probably more than any other music, people who were into hip-hop bought a lot of records because of the producer rather than the artist or the MC. It was quite unique.
On Illmatic, Nas worked with DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Large Professor and Q-Tip. Even though they were all from New York, they all had their own distinctive sound. Premier usually only took one loop, but he could do something incredible and really simple with one or two bars. Pete Rock was more complex and slightly more soulful. Large Professor had really amazing basslines, and Q-Tip was still deep, dark and street, but slightly more abstract. It was almost like The Avengers: Hulk, Thor, Captain America and Iron Man all coming together on one team. I don’t want to take anything away from Nas, who’s an amazing MC in his own right, but he always needed a great beat behind him. And they were the best at the time.
It’s kind of astonishing that there were so many different people involved, yet the album is pretty coherent.
The thing is, all these guys are from New York, and New York rap was all sample-based. It was pretty raw, and so even though these guys all had their own distinctive sound, they all hung out together; they were all friends.
That’s true. As you said, you go a long way back with hip-hop, and you probably heard a lot of classic albums. What makes “Illmatic” so special?
All I know is that I never get tired of it. A week doesn’t go by when I don’t listen to the whole album. It’s a short, too—it’s only got ten tracks on it, which was not typical, as a lot of albums used to hold 20 or 30 tracks. In contrast, Illmatic is really tight and focused. I love every track apart from one. I just think there’s something about Nas’ hunger to succeed on that record—I felt like you can hear that he came off the street into a vocal booth and just rhymed. It really has that immediacy and that hunger; you can hear it in his lyrics and you can hear it in his voice, and for me, it’s 1000 percent believable. I understand every word of it he says. Maybe it sounds silly, but it feels like he’s talking to me directly. His voice is just so direct. There’s something about that album. It was a point in time. So many different things combined to make it a special record.
It was his debut album, and it’s still hailed as one of the most important hip-hop albums of all time. That’s obviously quite a burden as well, but it’s really fascinating that he achieved this as his first album.
When it first came out, it wasn’t a success, though. It had critical success, but it didn’t sell. It took a bit of time to catch on. Looking at it now, for me, it’s always been a thing about Jay-Z or Nas. If you ask me, Nas would wipe the floor with Jay-Z in terms of rap skills. But Jay-Z is the superstar today, not Nas. Nas is still the rapper’s rapper. Also, sadly, he probably hasn’t made a record quite as good as Illmatic—not a whole album, anyway. So, if you want to talk about the greatest record of all time, many people today won’t say Illmatic. People will say it’s Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, or they’ll say Kanye’s it’s 808s & Heartbreak. For me, Illmatic is a benchmark, but I’m the older generation. I don’t know if the new generation really understands. What they perceive as being “good rap music” now is totally different, as is rap music itself.
Just in terms of the production, hip-hop—especially from the East Coast—was much more sample-based. I think that kind of vanished over the years.
The other thing is, in a weird way, that album marked a beginning, too. Before, you’d have one producer producing the whole thing. From what I remember, Illmatic was the first time so many esteemed producers all produced on the same album. That kind of changed things, because after that, people started getting loads of different producers to do an album. It’s not like they said, “Let’s get Premier or Pete Rock because they’ll sell millions of records.” They got those people because they really worked with Nas and they sounded right. But the hip-hop environment changed after that; people lost their unique sound. Everyone started to sound the same. Read the rest of this entry »
In discussion with Surgeon on (Who’s Afraid Of?) The Art Of Noise! by The Art Of Noise (1984).
How did you first encounter The Art Of Noise?
Difficult to remember as it was so long ago, perhaps it was seeing them perform “Close to (the Edit)” on Top of the Pops wearing those masks. That was in 1984.
What made you decide for this album? Why is it so important to you?
For me it’s a forgotten gem in the history of English electronic music. I fondly remember listening to it again and again. Read the rest of this entry »
In discussion with Philip Marshall about the album “Introspective” by the Pet Shop Boys (1988).
There is plenty to choose from in the history of the Pet Shop Boys, why did you pick this album? It’s all about time, and my personal trajectory. In late 88 I was 16, going on 17… And life was unfurling before me. No longer trapped in suburbia, I was spending increasing times in London Town, growing up, and learning all about myself – clubbing and all that entails included. I dug deep into London’s rich vein of “equity culture”, and quickly discovered my late teenage was perfectly in sync with the most exciting of explosions in music culture since post-punk. At this time, lines were blurred. I made a commitment to myself, and sold off hundreds of indie vinyl down the Notting Hill record & tape exchange in order to fund my new-found love of nightlife and the music coupled to it. No mop-headed moaning guitar drivel would ever sully my collection again (or, so I thought back then…). An end to teenage angst, sold by the crate-load. Out with the gloom. In with 808 State, Electribe 101 and never ending weekends… But, the electronic pop I had loved when young stayed with me…
I think it is safe to say that they wanted to do something different from their first two albums. How do you place this in the output of the Pet Shop Boys?
It’s all about timing – “Introspective” was released that November, when my introspection first ended. A thread – from a pop past, to a future life. For them, it was a definite embrace of the then fresh house culture that Europe had plunged into – a relatively brave move for an established pop act and before others, such as ABC, jumped that train… As far as placing in their personal timeline, well one of the things I love about this album is its single-minded stance. Although the songwriting and lyricism is as strong as what went before and what was to come, its formatting, arrangement and structure was wilfully, almost arrogantly, other. Here was a group having number one hits in Europe and the USA, coming off the back of two consecutive number ones, and returning with a release that 1.) was six tracks long, 2.) comprised of extended mixes, 3.) didn’t have their image on the cover, 4.) was oblique, lyrically, in parts… The confidence and, presumably, freedom from EMI’s meddling that their earlier success lent them, afforded them the space to make an other statement. A few weeks ago, I was tearing through the English countryside with Jon Wozencroft , on our way to a Suffolk performance. His car had a cassette player, and we were rifling through his old tape collection. “Introspective” was played. We agreed; it is the “Sgt. Pepper” of house – the sound of a band at the peak of its popularity stretching and flexing its remit without fear of a crash. Read the rest of this entry »
If the D.H.S. or any other member of D*ruffalo should drop whilst in the club from contamination, put them outside, but remember to tag them first for identification purposes.
Ours is the last mix that you will ever hear. Do not be alarmed.
ABC – Overture Philip Jap – Save Us Frankie Goes To Hollywood – War (Hide Yourself) (Excerpt) Propaganda – Duel (Bittersweet) Frankie Goes To Hollywood – One February Friday Marc Almond – Prelude Marc Almond – Jacky Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Two Tribes (Annihilation) Pet Shop Boys – Left To My Own Devices (The Disco Mix) Pet Shop Boys – It’s Alright (Extended Version) Pet Shop Boys – The Sound Of The Atom Splitting Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Well… Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Welcome To The Pleasuredome (Real Altered) Propaganda – p:Machinery (Polish) The Art Of Noise – Egypt The Art Of Noise – Beat Box (Diversion Two) The Art Of Noise – Close-Up The Art Of Noise – Beat Box (Diversion One) Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Relax (International) (Excerpt) Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Relax (Sex Mix) Malcolm McLaren – D’ya Like Scratchin’? Malcolm McLaren – Duck Rock Cheer Malcolm McLaren – First Couple Out (Extended Mix) Malcolm McLaren – Merengue Propaganda – Frozen Faces Dollar – Hand Held In Black And White ABC – The Look Of Love (Part Four) ABC – The Look Of Love (Part One) Spandau Ballet – Instinction Marc Almond – Trois Chansons De Bilitis (Extract) Marc Almond – The Days Of Pearly Spencer Propaganda – Das Testament Des Mabuse Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Rage Hard (+) Malcolm McLaren & World’s Famous Supreme Team – World’s Famous (Radio ID) Dollar – Videotheque Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Black Night White Light Propaganda – The Chase ABC – All Of My Heart Dollar – Give Me Back My Heart Anne Pigalle – Why Does It Have To This Way… The Art Of Noise – A Time Of Fear (Who’s Afraid?) Propaganda – Dream Within A Dream Godley & Crème – Cry (Extended Remix) Grace Jones – The Crossing (Ooh The Action) Grace Jones – Don’t Cry-It’s Only The Rhythm Grace Jones – Ladies & Gentlemen: Miss Grace Jones Marc Almond – My Hand Over My Heart (Grit And Glitter Mix) The Art Of Noise – Moments In Love (Beaten) Frankie Goes To Hollywood – The Power Of Love (Leave The Rest To The Gods)
It’s been too long, but now the Druffalo Hit Squad decided to skip the distractions (and there are so many!) and get back to duty. The result is a most exquisite invasion of your audio senses, laden with strings, drama and a thorough analysis of today’s society and the detours of love. We dedicate this Druffmix edition to Katherine Hamnett and Super Hector.
Liza Minnelli – Tonight Is Forever Marc Almond – My Hand Over My Heart (Grit And Glitter Mix) Heaven 17 – And That’s No Lie It’s Immaterial – Happy Talk Bronski Beat – It Ain’t Necessarily So Pet Shop Boys – My October Symphony Thomas Dolby – Cloudburst At Shingle Street (Edited Version) ABC – Ocean Blue (Atlantic Mix) Propaganda – Dream Within A Dream Spandau Ballet – Through The Barricades (Extended Version) Madness – One Better Day The Walker Brothers – My Ship Is Coming In Frankie Goes To Hollywood – The Power Of Love (Leave The Rest To The Gods) The Art Of Noise – Moments In Love (Intro) Ryuichi Sakamoto – Before Long
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