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February and March 1998

The elephants have been restless tonight. So restless that I have not been able to sleep.
To keep the music section up 2 date, hereīs a short summary of some good music thatīs been in the air for the last couple of weeks.

PRIMAL SCREAM
It They Move, Kill 'Em
(Creation)
The Screams' new ep is another step on their journey to the heart of darkness. Here is more music with the Echo Dek touch. This time produced by Brendan Lynch and the Primal Scream posse. Lynch who did a excellent remix work with Paul Weller on Kosmos (lynch mob bonus beats) back in 1994, has added his abstract beat aesthetics to the three songs on this single.

This excellent cd opens with If They Move, Kill 'Em - My Bloody Valentine Arkestra from Vanishing Point A long intro, beats, fuzzy wah-wha guitar and brass, after three minutes a huge b-line goes funky. The beat and sound builds slowly till the song suddenly ends.

Bobby Gillespie says in the April issue of Select that he has been listening to hard funk jazz albums like Miles Davis Dark Magus lately. He also mentions John Coltraneīs early 1960īs music on albums like Om and Ascension.

The Arkestra remix is named in honor of jazz musician Sun Raīs Arkestra. Sun Ra and his Arkestra has worked with abstract and funky beats since the early sixties so it seems to be a logical step for the Primal Scream to be inspired and give credit this way.

Bobby Gillespie and Andrew Innes were in the audience at a Sun Ra gig in London. After the set Sun Ra lay on the floor backstage almost unconscious, caused by some sort of heart disease a few years back, so Gillespie paid his respect and gave Sun Ra the Screamadelica album before they left.

Second track The Jesus and Mary Chains Darkland is the best of the lot. Itīs slow with a dub-pulse, melodica, cymbals and Bobbyīs voice. There are only fragments left of the original melody, itīs torn and fades slowly in and out.

The Primal Scream takes care of the rock tradition in their own special ways. From the boogie rock and soul on Give Out But Donīt Give Up to techno on the Kowalski single on which they also did a remake of ? and The Mysterians song 96 Tears, there is a strong touch of contemporary music. The Primal Scream doesnīt ever do a plain cover version. They a take a song recorded by another artist and really makes a version of their own, rather than just copying the original cut, and the Scream manages this without loosing the vibe of the original song.

THE BEATNUTS
The Beatnuts Remix EP: The Spot
(Relativity Records)
Cool hip-hop from The Beatnuts, with a acid jazz touch. Not very ground breaking but very nice music.

LYNDEN DAVID HALL
Medicine 4 My Pain
(Cooltempo)
While weīre waiting for DīAngelos new album, in steps Lynden David Hall with a awesome album of modern soul music. Lynden David Hall is a 23-year old Londoner who discovered his affinity for music almost accidentally about 8 years ago, when he picked up a school guitar and discovered he could play it. So this is another debut album from a whiz kid who writes and plays almost every instrument on the album.

The single Sexy Cinderella and the tracks Crescent Moon, I Wish I Knew and Medicine 4 my Pain is produced by Bob Power who has worked with Erykah Badu, The Roots and D'Angelo.

With a muscular bass playing by Me`Shell Ndegeocello, the album opens with Do I Qualify? and musically he sure does. Weīre talking soft and midtempo soul music with funky guitar licks, organ and a singer with a real good voice, like DīAngelo, Maxwell and Tony Rich. In a song like Crescent Moon I come to think of Marvin Gaye mid 1970īs. Sometimes there is a shade of my personal all time favorite Curtis Mayfieldīs spirit in the string and percussion arrangements.

REGGAE HITS VOL.22
Mixed by DJ VILLAGE feat Chukki Star & Cinderella
(Jet Star)
This is a remix album. Usually, I donīt really like remix albums, cause they are like a mix tape found on the street, without the personal touch of a friend. But this is something completely different. Here we get 21 of the latest dancehall and ragga hits absolutely flawless mixed by DJ Village. The album opens with Bounty Killers hard edged ragga Good Girl with nice scratch and jungle breaks, goes on to Merciless' Mr Whodini and the ever present Beenie Man, with his latest singles Romie and Nobody Knows in pure dancehall joy. Last year DJ sensation Red Ratīs Dwayne merges with Romie in a Lovers Rock remix which also marks the change of tempo in the set. DJ Village threwīs down tune after tune with Mickey Spice, Lloyd Brown, Sanchez and Cocoa Tea. Itīs a bliss this cold and snowy month of March 1998.

ELECTRIC GROOVES
Travellin' with a jazzy technohouse mood
(Irma Records)
A Irma compilation is always worth to investigate and this album is particularly rewarding. The best track is Electric J. featuring Creativ with Interview, a jazzy groove with breakbeats and streetwise lyrics. Further down the line thereīs a Black Science Orchestra, Ashley Beedle, remix of Saint Germains Alabama Blues with feather light keyboards, strings and funky snares. It even comes with a break from the summer of 96īs hip hop floor filler, DJ Koolīs Let Me Clear My Throat. Carl Craig add a touch of Detroit techno to Tek 9īs It Is On. Science Force are represented with two tracks in their atmospheric drumīn bass style, perfect for the cd-player at home or at the hip coffee shop.

DJ SHADOW
Preemptive Strike
(Mo Wax')
What Does Your Soul Look Like, if you donīt have this single, take the opportunity now. Hereīs the full length version plus additional remix tracks from other 12"s and some remixes in deep dub style from DJ Shadows excellent 1996 album Endtroducing..... The record dealer had this album in the techno slot. I donīt know... techno, maybe, but it has a lot of dub, soul, dangerous jazz and reggae breaks in the mix. Itīs good music spanning the limitations of each genre.