Despite the science fiction cover art this unusual 1980 release by Vangelis is much closer to esoteric jazz than any kind of space music. Trying to further explain what these two 15 minute plus compositions sound like would be rather futile other than to say they are the antithesis of easy listening. Not that they are difficult to listen to, more in the sense that they provide a constant challenge to those willing to go along for the ride. If you are brave enough then hop aboard and see where the music takes you.
I'm not sure if anyone has noticed but earlier today Funky Frolic passed the 1,000,000 pageview mark. Unfortunately it happened around 5am my time so I missed the big moment but I'm still thrilled to have made it this far. From humble begins FF has grown to the point where 4,000 pageviews a day is the norm, so I'd like to say a big thank you to all the visitors and supporters who have made this blog what it is today. It's great to see a lot of people becoming return visitors and enjoying their time here, it certainly validates my taste in music when I read comments from people expressing their joy at my selections. I hope I can continue to entertain and enlighten for a while longer...
I know this record can be found at a few different places but I couldn't resist posting it at Funky Frolic. These 17 tracks replicate the sounds you would find on retro computer games and pinball machines back in the early 1980's. It's a collection which will appeal to anyone who enjoys retro gaming or was around when Space Invaders, Moon Patrol, Frogger and Pitfall were at the cutting edge of home entertainment. There's not a lot of song structure to be had, mostly you get a lot of beeps and blips with the exception of "Video Funk", "Video Games", "Future World" and a couple of others. "Japanese Technology" is an excellent piece of minimalist electronic music and "Informatic Terminal" has a nice ambient feel. In fact the whole second half of the album is really, really good in my opinion.
Aside from the kitsch factor associated with the cover and theme there are plenty of reasons why you should download this and give it a go. Enjoy!
So did anything funky come out of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop? Well, this 1973 compilation of Paddy Kingsland tracks probably fits the bill. It's not funky in the truest sense but it has a pop / easy sensibility that puts it in contrast with music produced by the likes of Derbyshire and Vorhaus. Mostly this is a collection of moogy, synthy pieces that are relaxed and lighthearted, the best moments come when the electronic instruments are paired with guitar and drums such as on "Take Another Look", "One-Eight-One" and the great Italian themed "Vespucci". It's a pleasant album to listen to even if it doesn't break much new ground. See what you think.
Track 6 - Get Out Of My Life, Woman / Joe Williams
Track 7 - Down Here On The Ground / Grant Green
Track 8 - Spinning Wheel / Lonnie Smith
Track 9 - Howling For Judy / Jeremy Steig
Track 10 - Who's Makin' Love (To Your Old Lady) / Lou Donaldson
Track 11 - Tidal Wave / Ronnie Laws
Track 12 - Little Green Apples / Monk Higgins
Track 13 - Wind Parade / Donald Byrd
The Blue Note label has proven to be an inspirational goldmine for hip hop artists and DJ's for a good 20 plus years now. This collection brings together a number of Blue Note performances that have been sampled by the likes of the Beastie Boys, De La Soul, DJ Krush, A Tribe Called Quest, Gangstarr and even Madonna. As you would expect the grooves are seriously heavy duty and give a fair representation of the brilliance possessed by the likes of Donaldson, Green, Bird et al. Crazy organ lines and breakbeats abound in true Blue Note style, the biggest suprise for me came with Lonnie Smith's "Spinning Wheel". I've long since considered Jimmy McGriff's version to be the height of funkiness but this is a whole different beast! All in all it's an epic collection that does the classic label justice while highlighting the connection between different generations of artists.
Please note - the copy I have is the CD version which only contains the first 10 tracks, I haven't checked the above links to see if they include the extra tracks but the Depositfiles file is quite large and more than likely contains them. If not they can be found easily on the web. Enjoy!
This is a tour EP which was released by Broadcast during their 2003 "Haha Sound" Tour. Don't let the jazzy start to the first track fool you, this music is firmly based on the traditions of the Radiophonic Workshop. There is still a fair amount of diversity though with "05" consisting entirely of a drum workout and "09" having a bit of a Tortoise feel to it. Sadly vocalist Trish Keenan ( who is not featured on this disc ) died of pnuemonia last year at the age of 42. A new album is planned featuring vocals recorded before her death.
Lots of dark angry orchestration on this one that places it firmly in the field of crime music. The majority of tracks are composed by Steve Gray and John Scott and are more suited to soundtracks rather than use in tv or radio. You will find plenty of wind and string instruments along with timpani giving the pieces an epic, Cecil B. DeMille type importance. The most library music sounding track would be the excellent "Pendulum" which I've used in a compilation before, it's little brother "Pendulum 3" is also well worth a listen. To be honest there are gems all over the place and this album is rightly considered to be one of the more desirable Brutons, both in terms of sample potential and purely as a listening experience. Many thanks to the original uploader
Please note - There are a couple of missing tracks on this rip. I couldn't find a Discogs entry to verify the correct listings but the above line up is close enough to being correct ( hopefully! ).
This is a fairly enjoyable set of rock infused spy funk by the Men From S.P.E.C.T.R.E who hail from Winterthur, Switzerland. The main components of the music are guitar, frenetic drumming, hammond organ and nice deep bass, it's a full on mix which is best consumed in small doses. Stylistically the album could have benefited from a little more variation but they seem to have found their niche and are sticking to it steadfastly. Highlights include "The Luck Of Teela Brown", the short and sharp "Apartment 23" and "Mercury" which has a strong U.K feel to it. This is their third album so if you like what you hear then be sure to check their other releases.
Track 12 - Everything Is Gonna Change / Jean Paul 'El Troglodita'
Track 13 - Gonese Don Cicegim / Ersen
Track 14 - Proyectos De Un Ladron Prisionero / La Barra De Chocolate
Track 15 - Obsession '77 / Atomic Forest
This collection brings together 15 pieces of rare and sometimes unusual psych funk / rock music. I know virtually nothing about the featured artists but there is certainly South American, Persian and Indian influences flowing throughout the record with fuzzy guitar and heavy percussion playing a prominant role. The biggest highlight for my mind is "Osman Pehlivan" which contains some great breakbeats and comes off sounding like hip hop style belly dancing music. Atomic Forest is the only group I had heard of previously and "Obsession '77" is a real stomper with an excellent drum solo mid song. Other tracks are a little slower to reveal their charms but there are many interested elements at play.
As if Rapidshare's dramatic decrease in data transfer rates for free users wasn't enough, today I discovered that any Rapidshare link I click on redirects me to the RS homepage. I've had a look around for any news about this but nothing exists (yet). Is anyone else experiencing the same problem? If it is terminal then it's a rather nasty turn of events that will certainly impact on 20% to 25% of the links that can be found at Funky Frolic. I'm hoping for the best but I'm not exactly optimistic at the moment.
Update - Well it seems like everything's back to (very slow) business at Rapidshare. I don't think I can be blamed for jumping to conclusions considering what has transpired in the last few weeks. Incidentally, if any of you are able to provide alternative links to Rapidshare downloads posted here then let me know in the comments section of individual posts. I'd appreciate any help that can be provided. Also, I apologise in advance for any future RS links I post, rest assured I am treating it as a last resort. Anything I upload myself will appear on Mirrorcreator.
Track 1 - Motherland Megamix
Track 2 - New Model Army
Track 3 - Numbers Game
Track 4 - Pride Of The Nation
Track 5 - Start 'Em Young
Track 6 - Arirang
Track 7 - Commie Funk
Track 8 - Motherland Redux
Review from Sublime Frequencies - "Schmaltzy synthpop, Revolutionary rock, Cheeky child rap, and a healthy dose of hagiography for Dear Leader Kim Jong-il, this is the now NOW sound of North Korea! A hermit kingdom with a rich folk history and an even richer tradition in over-the-top praise for the ruling House of Kim, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea remains a diplomatic thorn and a culture never Neverland. Boasting a heady mix of Stalin opera, Tokyo karaoke and brooding impressionism, the sound of present-day Pyongyang distills into warped agit-pop and lost-in-time commie funk.
If you’ve ever wondered what goes on in North Korean music, this is your vehicle for exploration. Christiaan Virant has visited this mysterious land and has assembled this amazing audio collage. Captured within are rare live recordings from various performances and mass games demonstrations, sounds lifted from People’s Army television dramas, samples from hard-to-find CD releases obtained in the capital, and of course, news reports from the “real” Radio Pyongyang, which continues to broadcast to this day, albeit under the new, strikingly anodyne moniker “Voice of Korea”."
