RETRO-TEQUE - LEST WE FORGET



 

It wasn't until I received a request to reupload Keith Papworth's "Hard Hitter" that I discovered that the wonderful Retro-teque blog has been removed from the internet. I haven't spoken to retronic yet but I gather from his comment at Dusty Shelf that he felt the project had run its course which is sad but completely understandable given the amount of time and energy he has put in over the course of several years.

 

Not only did retronic create some of the most compelling and enjoyable library music compilations to have ever graced the public's ears but he also made some super cool covers such as the example above. He was a key figure in my decision to start blogging and for that I will always be grateful, I sincerely hope his knowledge and passion will not be entirely lost because he's an absolute treasure.

 

I'm guilty of not downloading as many of his comps as I should have but in the coming days I will put together a small collection of highlights from the music which he so graciously shared with us all.

 

I'll also re-up "Hard Hitter" sometime before the weekend.

PIERO UMILIANI - CONTINENTE NERO

 

 

Download here

 

Track 1 - Rivoluzionari

Track 2 - Nel Villaggio

Track 3 - Nuove Realta

Track 4 - Antiche Tradizioni

Track 5 - Nuovi Fermenti

Track 6 - Sole Percussioni

Track 7 - Piffero Africano

Track 8 - Continente Nero

Track 9 - Riscossa

Track 10 - Ultimo Stregone

Track 11 - Continente Nero

Track 12 - Preparativi

Track 13 - Oasi

Track 14 - Tribalismo

Track 15 - Giorno Di Mercato

Track 16 - Flauto Africano

 

Piero Umiliani combines tribal music and esoteric jazz on this enjoyable 1975 release from the Omicron label. There's plenty of drama and mystery present with percussion playing a starring role on many of the compositions. It's a solid album with "Tribalismo" and "Nel Villaggio" probably standing out as my favourite tracks. Certainly a must have for those who want to hear another side to the late, great Piero. Thanks to the original uploader and eesywind for the vid. For more Umiliani click here, here, and here!

 

EVEN MORE LIBRARY MUSIC MIXES

I've come across a few more library music inspired mixes since my last post on the subject. First up we have LavLab from the Hostile Sloth Records blog who have produced three themed mixes in a series titled "Shhhh!....It's Library Music". There is the "Funk Edition", the "Lounge Edition" and the "Rockin' Edition". Of course I was immediately drawn towards the Funk Edition and am listening to it as I type this. It's a quality selection which dips into a number of different libraries but the bulk of the tracks appear to be sourced from KPM's and DeWolfe's. I would describe the general mood as being a bit more "groovy" rather than "funky" with lots of uptempo jazzy numbers featured but there's also a raft of fantastic drum beats and breaks scattered throughout ( including the ubiquitous "Hard Hitter" by Keith Papworth" ).

I haven't downloaded the other two mixes yet but I presume they would be of a similar high quality. There's no track listing included and as some of you might already know I'm hopeless at ID'ing tracks, so it might be worth leaving LavLab a message if you're keen to know all the titles.

The next mix comes from DJ Hudson, it's a live set recorded last year and is described as being "midtempo, beaty, relaxed". Almost all the tracks featured have appeared on albums posted at Funky Frolic at one time or another but here they are given more of a hip hop style treatment. It's a bit rough around the edges, sometimes the tracks lurch into one another rather than flowing naturally but the selection is top notch and I'm sure with a bit of refinement it would have been a home run. All the same it's still well worth a listen, you can download the mix here and the track listing can be found below. Enjoy.

Giant’s Causeway – Johnny Pearson
Accadde A Bali – Ararwak
Hula Rock – Lew Howard & The All-Sters
Name Of The Game – Brian Bennett
Lightly Salted – Barry Ungar
Safari Park [Edit] – Stringtronics
Long Wait (from Hawaii 5-0) – Morton Stevens & His Orchestra
Discovery – Brian Bennett
Girl At The Top B – Alan Hawkshaw & Alan Parker
High Diver – Alan Hawkshaw
Bio Rhythm No.3 – Thomas Clausen
Ne Parlons Pas De Rien – Godchild
Mile High Swinger – Alan Hawkshaw
At Risk – David Lindup
The Heavies – James Clarke
That’s What Friends Are For (instrumental) – Alan Parker
Mixed Drums – Andy Loore
Scrabble – Rene Costy

PLONE - FOR BEGINNER PIANO

Download here

Track 1 - On My Bus
Track 2 - Top & Low Rent
Track 3 - Plock
Track 4 - Marbles
Track 5 - Busy Working
Track 6 - The Greek Alphabet
Track 7 - Press A Key
Track 8 - Bibi Plone
Track 9 - Be Rude To Your School
Track 10 - Summer Plays Out

This is a bit of a departure from what you'd normally hear at Funky Frolic. Plone's 1999 release "For Beginner Radio" contains 10 tracks of atmospheric and playful electronic music that at various times reminded me of Air, Jega, Bruce Haack, Portishead, Ego Plum and Tortoise. The middle section of the album particularly impressed me with "Marbles", "Busy Working", "The Greek Alphabet" and "Press A Key" all possessing a creepy vibe which would be well suited as the soundtrack to a haunted fairground. A couple of the songs outstayed their welcome including the plodding last track but anyone who enjoys the aforementioned artists should find something of interest here.

SKEEWIFF - SKEEWIFF VS KPM



Listen/Download here

Track 1 - Wild Waters (Keith Mansfield)
Track 2 - Brass, Beats And Bongos (Syd Dale)
Track 3 - Skydive (Keith Mansfield)
Track 4 - Crazy, Crazy (Keith Mansfield)
Track 5 - Daft As A Brush (George French)
Track 6 - Ballroom Beat Bonanza (David Lindup)
Track 7 - The Rat Race (Hawkshaw/Mansfield)
Track 8 - Effortless Elegance (Keith Mansfield)
Track 9 - ASBO (Keith Mansfield)
Track 10 - Shopping On Acid (Laurie Johnson)
Track 11 - Bossa Del Flamingo (Syd Dale)
Track 12 - Fly Funk (Parker/Bell)
Track 13 - The Hawk Shuffle (Alan Hawkshaw)
Track 14 - Boogie Man Beats (Kenny Graham)
Track 15 - Broken Blues (Keith Nichols)
Track 16 - It's Rhythm...And All That Swing! (Alan Moorhouse)
Track 17 - Jitter Boogie (Goodwin/Walter)
Track 18 - Jazz Hands, White Gloves (Dick Walter)
Track 19 - Trad Rags (Keith Nichols)
Track 20 - The Tap Tastic Toe Twizzler (Sam Fonteyn)

Here is another example of a modern day group attempting to breathe new life into 60's and 70's library music while adding their own particular sound. I know a lot of the purists will turn their noses up at such a concept but I think anything that broadens the public's knowledge of these wonderful but often overlooked composers can't be such a bad thing. For those unfamiliar with Skeewiff's work they fall somewhere between spy jazz and Fat Boy Slim with heavy beats combined with funky elements ( in this instance care of the KPM library ).

These kind of projects are always going to be hit and miss but for the most part they've done a pretty good job and I found myself enjoying it more than anticipated. You can click on the link above to listen to the tracks and download them individually ( click on the downward pointing arrows on the righthand side of the page ) or alternatively you can download the first ten tracks here. As always, enjoy!

MUSICA PER SONORIZZAZIONI - ITALIAN LIBRARY MUSIC 1969-1976

Listen here

Track 1 - Amedeo Tommasi / Radiazioni
Track 2 - Bruno Nicolai / Diffidenza
Track 3 - Daniele Patucchi / La Dimostrazione
Track 4 - Giuliano Sorgini / Fabbrica Spaziale
Track 5 - Piero Umiliani / Danza Magica
Track 6 -  Silvano Chimenti [Awake] / Colori
Track 7 - Mario Nascimbene / Rito Pagano
Track 8 - Gerardo Iacoucci / Alchemie & Alambics
Track 9 - Amedeo Tommasi [Di Jarrell] / Mondo Industriale
Track 10 - Amedeo Tommasi / Bollicine
Track 11 - Alessandro Alessandroni & Romolo Grano / Per Un Eroe Caduto
Track 12 - Ennio Morricone / Alternance
Track 13 - Armando Sciascia / Calm Sea
Track 14 - Floriana Bozzalla / Vento Cosmico
Track 15 - Giorgio Carnini [Zanagoria] / Diorama e Recitativo
Track 16 - Piero Umiliani / Arabian Synthesizer
Track 17 - Nico Fidenco [Donimak] / Industrial Feeling
Track 18 - Bruno Nicolai / Giano
Track 19 - Fabio Fabor / Caronte
Track 20 - Amedeo Tommasi & Stefano Torossi [Farlocco] / Superpotenza
Track 21 - Romano Rizzati / Azimut
Track 22 -  Piero Umiliani / Pellegrinaggio al Totem
Track 23 - Alessandro Alessandroni / SOS Spaziale
Track 24 - Egisto Macchi / Chanson de la Nuit
Track 25 - Guglielmo Papararo & Vittorio Montis / Jonosfera

This Soundcloud mix by Heroin In Tahiti features a who's who of Italian library music with the likes of Umiliani, Tommasi, Nicolai and Torossi all contributing pieces. The general mood of this collection is dark, brooding and cinematic...in fact you could easily pass the mix off as the long lost score to a 1970's exploitation horror film. Umiliani's "Arabian Synthesizer" provides a brief funky interlude but soon after we're taken back into the night. The linking of the tracks could be a little smoother at times but there's no doubting the quality of the music selected. It's a wonderful and worthwhile journey. For more library music mixes click here.

GET SMARTER - VARIOUS ARTISTS

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Track 1 - Isbergues 2AM / Tony & The Mulestation

Track 2 - Freakout! / Les Merseys

Track 3 - Le Winston / The Nilsmen

Track 4 - Baseline / The Beatstalkers

Track 5 - I Was A Persian Fly / Jerry Allen

Track 6 - Slightly / Slamcreepers

Track 7 - Sleppin' / David

Track 8 - What'd I Say / The V-Rangers

Track 9 - Here Comes The Boot / The Johnny Harris Orchestra

Track 10 - Underworld / The Reg Guest Syndicate 

Track 11 - Black Olives / The Bad Boys

Track 12 - Night Rider / The John Schroeder Orchestra

Track 13 - Arcipelago / The Underground Set

Track 14 - Come On Back / The Wild Ones

Track 15 - Sweet Bacon / Julian Covey & The Machine

Track 16 - Pepsi / The Mohawks

Track 17 - Watermelon Man / Artie Scott Orchestra

Track 18 - Pinball / The Van Doren Hawksworth Collection

Here is a collection of funky 1960's grooves that fits somewhere inbetween "Blow Up: Exclusive Blend Vol.2" and the rambunctious sounds which have emanated from various Northern Soul compilations over the years. There's a healthy amount of go-go grooviness but many of the tracks feature a rock and roll snarl which gives the music a welcome oomph. Unsurprisingly two of my favourite pieces have a library music connection - "Pepsi" by Alan Hawkshaw and his Mohawks along with "Pinball" which was co-compsed by Johnny Hawksworth are both loads of fun.

This compilation is not for the pipe smoking, beard strokers out there. Rather it is a joyous and infectious celebration of sound that wills you towards the dancefloor. Many thanks to the original uploader.

FLIPPER PSYCHOUT - VARIOUS ARTISTS

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Track 1 - Megattera / Sandro Brugnolini
Track 2 - Omnifarius / Roberto Conrado
Track 3 - Save Up / Piero Montanari
Track 4 - Spleen / Luigi Lopez
Track 5 - Magia / Oronzo De Filippi
Track 6 - Acromatic / Roberto Conrado
Track 7 - Ready Money / Roberto Conrado & Piero Montanari
Track 8 - Lustful / Amedeo Minghi
Track 9 - Pledge / Roberto Conrado
Track 10 - Marsuino / Sandro Brugnolini
Track 11 - Trip / Emma De Angelis
Track 12 - Orca / Sandro Brugnolini
Track 13 - Ticklish / Roberto Conrado
Track 14 - Castello Stregato / Oronzo De Filippi
Track 15 - Lamantino / Sandro Brugnolini
Track 16 - La Via Della Droga / Amedeo Tommasi
Track 17 - Likewise / Roberto Conrado & Piero Montanari
Track 18 - Stenella Dubia / Sandro Brugnolini
Track 19 - Chase / Pasquale Castiglione & Casa Paolo
Track 20 - Balenottera / Sandro Brugnolini
Track 21 - Asincronia / Alessandro Alessandroni
Track 22 - Globicefalo / Sandro Brugnolini
Track 23 - Suspence Magico No.1 / Amedeo Tommasi
Track 24 - Tradimento / Gerardo Iacoucci
Track 25 - Overcraft / Alessandro Alessandroni & Sorgini Giuliano
Track 26 - Lo Strangolatore Di Boston / Franco Bracardi & Giorgio Bracardi

With the amount of music I've bought/downloaded over the past few years it's been easy for some albums to get overlooked in my collection. "Flipper Psychout" is one such example but thankfully this post has given me a reason to fully immerse myself in the pleasures contain within this wonderful compilation.

What we have here are 26 tracks from insanely rare Italian library music labels such as Canopo, Deneb, Flirt and Octopus. The sound is completely removed from what most of us would associate with library music ( i.e KPM, DeWolfe, Telemusic etc.). The majority of tracks have elements of rock or jazz and as the title of the comp suggests there is also some excellent psychedelic moments to be found. From a production music standpoint it's hard to figure out how some of this music might have been used, due to the cinematic qualities at play it was probably more likely to find its way on to film scores rather than advertising or television.

"Scoctopus: The In Sound From Octopus Records" was my first ever library music purchase 15 odd years ago so it's no surprise that I love this compilation aswell given the similarities ( there's even a little bit of crossover between the two ). It's 70+ minutes of pure joy and an absolute must have for any library fan. Enjoy!

WIZZZ! VOLUME 2 - VARIOUS ARTISTS

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Track 1 - J'aime Ou J'emm / San Antonio

Track 2 - Je t'aime Normal / Jean Et Janet

Track 3 - Maintenant Je Suis Un Voyou / Bruno Leys

Track 4 - Des Arbres De Fer / Guy Skornik

Track 5 - Dans Son / Chorus Reverendus

Track 6 - Je Suis Inadaptee / Brigitte Fontaine

Track 7 - Bonne Nuit Chuck / Philippe Nicaud

Track 8 - Herr Doktor Reich / Zorgones

Track 9 - L'Electocute / Jesus

Track 10 - 4 Cheveux Dans Le Vent / Bianc Didonc

Track 11 - Crazy Girl Crazy World / Alain Boissanger

Track 12 - KKK / Serge Franklin

Track 13 - Amstramgram / Isabelle

Track 14 - Hallucinations / Bruno Leys

Track 15 - Un Soir D'Ete / Nelly Perrier

While it might not be to everyone's taste, there's certainly some interesting stuff going on within this compilation of 1960's French pop and psych rock music. It has a somewhat similar off the wall vibe to the Popshopping advertising comps with sugary sweet vocals being teamed with fuzzy guitar and uptempo drumming to create sub 3 minute pop nuggets. I quite like the more rock 'n' roll orientated tracks such as "Des Arbres De Fer" by Guy Skornik and "Amstramgram" by Isabelle who sounds like she was about 10 years old when the track was recorded. Groovy!

 

EDDIE WARNER - PROGRESSIVE PERCUSSIONS VOL.1+2

Download Volume 1 here
Download Volume 2 here

VOLUME 1

Track 1 - Big Bell Boy
Track 2 - Cold Shower
Track 3 - Getting High
Track 4 - So What?
Track 5 - Funny Kid
Track 6 - Brutus Drums
Track 7 - Woodpecker Waltz
Track 8 - K.O
Track 9 - Shut Up
Track 10 - Xylo Spleen
Track 11 - Impatience
Track 12 - Latin Pop
Track 13 - Beach Beat
Track 14 - Why?
Track 15 - Drug
Track 16 - Telex

VOLUME 2

Track 1 - Devil's Anvil
Track 2 - Very Bell
Track 3 - Stop Stottering
Track 4 - Keep Running
Track 5 - Xylophagus
Track 6 - Vibra Trick
Track 7 - Piano Obsession
Track 8 - Syncopated Motion
Track 9 - Easy Bass
Track 10 - Scrape It
Track 11 - Strike The Keys
Track 12 - Beat It
Track 13 - Eccentric Trick

After my little holiday I've been suffering from the flu and haven't had the time or inclination to update Funky Frolic. However my digital crate digging has unearthed 2 incredible gems which I simply must share!

Library music fans should be fairly familiar with the work of Eddie, his tracks have appeared on compilations such as "Luke Vibert's Nuggets", "La Guepe Vol.2", "Music For Dancefloors: Cream Of The Chappell Music Library Sessions" along with "Le Jazzbeat Vol.2" which borrows heavily from these two collections. The albums, which were released through the L'Illustration Musicale label are overflowing with Warner's typically heavy drum sound mixed with vibes, wah wah and a range of electronic instruments. The results are uniformly brilliant, in fact I would be hard pressed to think of a single track that I don't love! Whether your tastes lean towards jazz, funk, rock, psychedelica or beyond there is so much pleasure to be had.

I could go into my thoughts on individual tracks but that would simply hold you up from downloading these albums immediately. "Progressive Percussions Vol. 1 and 2" easily slot into the top 10 best library music records I've ever heard, so do yourself a favour and check them out today!

Please note - it looks like the last track on Volume 2 "Spiel The Glock" is missing from this rip so if anyone out there has it then let me know. Cheers.

KENOSOBI & RANMECCA - FELA BEAT TAPE

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Track 1 - Tune Intro
Track 2 - Lady
Track 3 - Frofight
Track 4 - Dilla
Track 5 - Amen
Track 6 - Beastmode
Track 7 - H2O No Enemy
Track 8 - Mos Def
Track 9 - ITT Thief Flip
Track 10 - Odoo

Do you like Fela Kuti? How about hip hop? If you answered yes to both then this is for you.