We're Two!

Another year, another 80,000 ARAWA friends are made. Friends with strange made-up names, friends whose tastes run from the far far left to the debilitatingly eccentric (me!). Friends that meet through networks of strewn and tangled wires and invisible floating signals, leaving the constraints of the real world behind and yes, embracing the rainbow I always thought was too far to reach. Yeah, I totally just went there.

Over the past couple of years I've had the pleasure of meeting and founding a partnership with Tommy Boy through all these cables and wires. Though we've never met, I think we're the perfect foils for each others aesthetics and ears (a yang to my yin if you will) and have become fast friends over these airwaves. I couldn't be happier that he's here to share the trip with me.

Over to you Tom!

Thank you Sean. I'm so grateful to be a part of this B-Day celebration. Truth be told, I used to have a hard time coping with other peoples birthdays as a child. I remember sulking and wishing it was my day. Watching other kids open their presents was so difficult for some reason. So, needless to say, it's nice to be included in this special celebration!

ARAWA has meant so much to me in it's short life span. I remember like it was yesterday when I first saw my two favorite's in one post. JAZ's mix for ARAWA last year literally changed my life with regard to music appreciation. I feel completely humbled and blessed to be able to be part of this now ongoing tradition. I hope JAZ's unique sound has as much of an impact on our new readers as it had for me.

One of the things that has always drawn me to this site is the appreciation of nostalgia coupled with an eagerness to share and learn. Sean, you've really created something special here. I truly feel I've found my other half, my old best friend from the schoolyard, my long lost brother from another mother. Thank you for opening this space up to like minds and kindred spirits. I hope I can express my appreciation for this lovely place by continuing in the tradition you set forth with your very first post. Ok, enough of my emotional gushing. On with the festivities!

Back to you Sean!

In celebration we once again bring you an exclusive and increzzedibly rad mix from Dream Chimney's resident vicar and ARAWA's number one spiritdisco guru, JAZ. Thanks Jazzers! Another mix that bridges planets, connects musical dots and believes wholeheartedly in the warm and healing qualities of music and dancing. A good magician never reveals how a trick is done and its no difference with one who works primarily in the disco magics. Hence no tracklist, but feel free to guess away in the comment section friends.

For those that have come through here and left with something that resonates with them, something that made them look twice or chuckle, something that made them shift a shoulder or hip while the dishes were done, this place is for you and we thank you. You make this place a pleasure for us to return to time and again.

It takes a muscle to fall in love.

JAZ- ARAWA2: Phone Home

JAZ's debut album, I Played Sports packed with 14 magic edits will be released soon on Sixty Five (with artwork by me!) and you can check out some samples and preorder at Clone. Also check out his Libre Ambience 12" and ARAWA's 1st Bday mix here.

Flashback Episode #1

Pictured above, Tommy and I. Who's who y'think?

Remember on sitcoms, where near the end of the season there was the recap episodes? Like Balki and Larry would be sitting around the table, gettin' all reminisce-ey about the wackiness and heartstring tugging moments they'd had in the past year (or however "real time" a sitcom season is supposed to cover)? I always called them "flashback episodes", is there an industry term for them? It was like a cheap way to complete the shows contract and it always reeked of desperation and anti-creativity. Well good news ARAWA reader! I'm gonna do that here.

Yay?

I know its kind of a douchey maneuver but hey, I'm a douche. We're coming up on our second anniversary and there's been a lot of tracks put out there. A lot of them were put up in the first 7-8 months and back then... we had barely any readers. I remember a couple months in getting something like twenty+ people coming through and being really blown away. We've come a long way since then (thanks ARAWA people!) and this is just a quick and easy vehicle to throw out some super jams that I feel might have fell through the inter-cracks. I promise not to overuse this, really. I promise. I just heard this song thanks to the randomness of shuffle and thought that it deserved another spin round here, so here we are. Okay?

Cue flashback...

Dont trust that photo. Despite looking like Paula Poundstone's secret lover, Anneclaire knows how to get down. Madonna and Nile Rodgers' new boogie blueprint hooks up with italo and produces a heavily accented, yellow jumpsuited offspring. Said child goes on to wanting a lot of things. Hear them all listed here in song format. Fun!

Never heard the original but this remix by Elvio Pieri gets me going every time. More from Elvio coming soon...

Anneclaire- I Want (Remix)

Juliet

No one can beat a Gibb for sure fire falsetto satisfaction.

Robin Gibb- Juliet

and a little remix action by CatComplex for the recent BuffetLibre Rewind 2. Nice mix, doesn't go the obvious route, its filtery and French, but surprisingly quirky and takes a lot of unexpected turns.

Robin Gibb- Juliet (CatComplex Remix)

Wouldn't Wanna

Less a discovery kinda thing than a "Why the fuck haven't I been listening to this my whole life?!" kinda thing.

The Alan Parsons Project- I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You

and a little re-edit action by The Twelves giving it that (Brazilian) French Touch.
The Alan Parsons Project- I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You (The Twelves Re-Edit)

Dirty Love

Bagarre is one of the most fascinating and elusive disco/italo groups around. Original copies of their records can fetch ridiculous prices, information on them is scant at best and their sound practically represents the work of two different groups. Case in point Dirty Love from their 1982 LP, Circus. A laid back, hazy disco groove punctuated with singer (one of two on this album) Jo Cleary's incredible, husky, angry but almost spoken word vocals. Think the singer from Book of Love but with a snarling Italian accent.

Then came their 1985 album, Epitaph. More a collection loose ends than a proper album it contained more than a few new versions of old songs including Dirty Love, renamed Your Love is Dirty. This version has a much more minimal, more electronic and features this time a man on vocals. Who? I don't know, but he sure is a creep. Taking cues from Cleary's original vocals he talks his way through, over-accentuating strange syllables and letting his accent shine but he comes off way less sexy and... weird. Both are great versions. Which one do you guys and gals like better?

Bagarre- Dirty Love
Bagarre- Your Love is Dirty

Super duper bonus track... this ones a bit more on the cosmic end of the grand disco spectrum.

Bagarre- Chances to Come/ Eve of War

Bill says Hi!

I was in one of those dark, funky moods last night and felt inspired to make this video. Always been a big fan of this song and movie. A few years back this amazing underground french label, Invasion Planete, put out a lovely compilation with this amazing cover. Just seemed like the song needed a video. Hence this. Thanks Le Syndicat Electronique for making this great song even better.

Le Syndicat Electronique - Lying

Zodiac

I want to thank my friends at Dream Chimney for re-introducing me to this unbelievably superb soviet record. I first heard this group on Morgan Geist's Unclassics compilation but must have dismissed it unintentionally. Truly some of the best disco to come from behind the iron curtain.

Zodiac - Pacific

Zodiac released 2 albums in the early 80s, Disco Alliance and Music in the Universe. Both are top notch Cosmic Disco classics.

Watch them do their thing live in this video.

Hausu

Hausu aka House is ARAWA's new favorite flick. Someone deftly referred to it elsewhere as Beetlejuice directed by Dario Argento. Expect your eyeballs to pop out and hairballs to spew forth. A must see for any cat lover.

Unknown Force

Success at the thrift store! I found this vague white label 12" which only had "The Force - Promotional Use Only" stamped on it. I was hoping it might be a rare copy of the Chicago Jack classic, "The Force - It's Ok" but found it was something altogether different.

This single sided 12" megamix is an example of 80s edits at their best. The track contains instrumentals of Afrika Bambaataa, Tony Basil, Depeche Mode, Yaz, and ends with the amazing Bobby-O all in 8 minutes. Total score! This reminds me of the pirate radio tape edits found on Mastermix.org and the Flemming Dalum italo megamixes floating around the web. Real edit magic! Here's the unknown 12" mix

The Force 12" mix

Feel free to elaborate on the playlist in the comment section. There are a few samples I'm not sure of.
I want to leave you with a few of my favorite tape spliced youtube treasures. A true lost art form. Enjoy the viddie treats...

My First Concert

Muhfuckin Dio. So into him right now. Its like I'm thirteen again.

What were your first shows? Share with me! The more embarassing the better.

Blind Love

Shoot. Where have I been? It's been awhile since I've showed up around these parts. Thank the inter-gawd for Tommy or this place would be without quality info-tainment for over a month.

Here's just a quick one to get me back in the saddle. A song released in the time frame in between the death of electroclash and the rise of disco edits and the retro-futurism of post-Daft Punk electro and house. Its a sound that still doesn't fit squarely with either but rubs shoulders with them happily. Do not tune out before the 3:50 mark or you'll miss the most triumphant chiptune-esque solo ever.

Ural 13 Diktators- Blind Love

Check out the rest of their catalog too, awesome stuff. Dudes were sampling Savage before it was even cool again. Unfortunately they've fallen off the face of the earth since 2004 but who knows, the new age of the Diktators could still be coming.

Bonus! Rad video for the Bikini Machine remix of "Name of the Game"...

Ron Hays

taken from famed youtuber CrystalSculpture
google Ron Hays video work....sit back and enjoy the ride.
"It's full of stars...."