Talkbox Country

Thanks to Voodoo Village for bringing this bit of brilliance to my attention.

Pete Drake- Forever
Pete Drake- Still

Witch Hunt

Things aren't always cute and cuddly round here. Sometimes the shackles of sequencers and metronomes become too tight and can only loosened with abrasion and distortion, primal needs and fears satisfied/exacerbated with sounds raw and unprocessed.

In steps RVNG, quickly become the preeminent label for moving into the future by looking backwards. Their newest release is a beast. A beast lovingly edited, compiled and mixed by one JD Twitch. In the package you get 10" with four edits of the Crass extended family and one extra ambitious mix cd of early punk/noise/spazz what have you. Twitch says in the liner notes...

"Doing a mix cd of this music seemed like a crazy idea but as I've always been a big fan of crazy ideas I was determined to make it work and I think it does. The idea behind it was two-fold. Firstly I thought there might be some people out there who know nothing about this music and might stumble across this and find that they really like it. Secondly there are probably a load of people out there who used to dig this stuff but are now deep into cosmic disco or somesuch and this might remind them of how great and eminently listenable this music really is."

I'm definitely part of the latter group. Its incredible to hear this stuff in a new mindset and context and still feel all the immediacy and power that drew me to it in the first place. Thanks Twitch and RVNG.

Here's a little taste, Twitch's Beyond the Emperor's Sleeve-esque edit of The Mob's Witch Hunt...
The Mob- Witch Hunt (JD Witch Re-Edit)

Buy the whole package for cheap at RVNG and support good music!

On Green

My good friend Silencefiction said a few months ago that he had a mix in the works that ARAWA might enjoy, "Might you be interested?" he said. I said totally. As long as it doesn't suck.

"Of course it wont suck," he replied, "its an all Asia mix".

As excited as you all were to hear Heat of the Moment, I'm sorry to say, he lied. He decided to make something good instead. An eminently listenable and enjoyable selection of new wave and synth-pop that helped to shape an eminently enjoyable dude from past to present to future. As Tommy Boy says, "It's roots music for the apathetic and pale".

"I was a blossoming synth punk youth in Montreal when most of these tracks were recorded, hence the commonwealth-centric track selection. Half were the soundtrack to my discovery of hairspray and nail polish. The other half are tracks
I wish I knew about at the time.Strangely, a lot of these otherworldly, alienated songs were either recorded with major label money, or led these bands to later become novelty one-hit-wonders before they faded away. The majors were bandwagoning to cut themselves a piece of the new wave, but they were also taking risks by signing some pretty adventurous music. The terrain was open and uncharted. Even the Human League couldn't ruin it for everybody. Nor could Throbbing Gristle."

I want to point out that while he's still quite big on the nail polish, the hairspray might not be necessary anymore.

Silencefiction- Advance One Level On Green

Silencefiction's new post-minimal label, Untitled and After will be launching soon featuring releases and remixes from among others, Landsound, Lance De Sardi and Safety Scissors.

Tracklist in the comments.

And as a shameless ploy to get this incredible mix into as many ears as possible, here's a track for the Hype Machine generation.

Mike Batt- Love Makes You Crazy

Italian Exclusive

Twisted Wires has kindly shared with ARAWA a rough mix of their soon-to-be released single on Italians Do It Better. This is another one of those rare acts thats IDIB seems to cater to so well. Kim Systems, enigmatic front man for the group, has crafted a perfect storm of dark synths and disco beats, transporting the listener to some dystopian future where every dance floor is a crime scene. The virtuoso's brooding vocals are mesmerizing, sounding like some cyborg hybrid of HAL and Morrissey. If this single is any indication, IDIBv2.0 is the new wave. Can't wait to see what '09 brings for this incomparable New Jersey label and this amazing up'n'coming group. Rejoice in the exclusivity kids - you heard it here

Twisted Wires - Another Night at the Raw Deal

Fletchermeyer

As far as movie themes go, Harold Faltermeyer's "Fletch" has to have one of the most memorable synth lines ever. Although not as successful as his Axel F theme, the same appeal is present. This has to be one of my favorite collaborations ever. It's right up there with Jan Hammer and Tangerine Dream's best soundtrack work. Chevy Chase owns this persona, the role obviously tailor made for him. The score also suits the movie perfectly. I've watched Fletch countless times and it never gets old for me. It reminds me of the good ol' days, when Chevy Chase was still funny. Here are 3 different versions of the main theme found on the official soundtrack.

The Story Is Utah
Sneaking Up
Leg Work

Fletch at home

You Are The Star

This is something I don't post enough around here, straight up, lush, organic, epic disco. Like, disco disco. Mixed by the one and only Tom Moulton and released in '76 by the incomparable West End Records it's a little reminder that maybe sometimes, the world does revolve around you. So just dance and enjoy it.

Jakki- You Are the Star (Long Version)

Oriental Nightfish

I was working late when I first caught sight of the oriental nightfish. The colors were swirling, the room was getting hotter. I couldn't see anything. Emerald blue, purple red. I was working late, it was a Thursday night, when I first caught sight of the oriental nightfish...

Linda McCartney - Oriental Nightfish

Phew.

High fives all around. We did it.

Faxe- Time for Changes

Running Love Down

Well campers, Halloween's over and I already miss it. I know we covered tons but we left out so much more. I guess there's always next year. Just in case you're wondering, we have no plans for a ARAWA Christmas theme excursion. You can put your vomit bags down now. Clearly after October's insanity, its time to give carpal tunnel a rest. In the meantime, allow me to shamelessly plug my recent mix. If you're down for disco and up for dancing, then this was specially made just for you. Hopefully it'll tide you over while I gather my wits in preparation to be an annual co-counselor. enjoy

Tommyboy - Running Love Down

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