60

It is made limited - today I will be 60 years old. In my younger days I couldn't imagine to get this far. But now I can look back to a lot of decades with ups and downs, good days and bad days and more great times than bad times. I am not going to celebrate this day but I will meet some friends at the pub next door to have a good time, talking and drinking a few pints. I tried to figure out some tunes with the 60 in it's title and couldn't find more than Bow Wow Wow that should be featured today. It is a song that accompanied me during the last decades and I never got rid of enjoying this song. 

Bow Wow Wow - C30 C60 C90 Go!

Another song that I can't listen often enough during the last years was Underworld's Rez. A song that had a hypnotic groove and made a level for many other bands and it is hard to beat.

Underworld - Rez

Axial Age

Justin Robertson is a veteran of British electronic underground music for many years. He released a lot of great tracks with his project Deadstock 33s during the last years. Now he's back with a new EP of electronic sounds featuring a very own mixture of slow down electronic funk that is similar to Jan Hammer's soundtrack to Miami Vice. Not a bad way for a new inspiration.

Monday's Long Song

At the height of early 70's punk scene in NYC Television released their first and monumental album Marquee Moon. It was different from punk but they made their jazz and Velvet Underground inspired music close to the upcoming music. It was Tom Verlaine and Richard Hell on guitars that made the sound combining the best of the past with the new movement in music. It is still a record I always come back to and this track is still a monolith in new music.

Television - Marquee Moon

Paul Valéry At The Disco

Since a few days some friends from Sri Lanka came to visit me and I spent a lot of time with them so that I found no time to write something on these pages. A Man Called Adam is an artist that is busy on releasing records and remixes. The latest one is this little gem that also could be featured on Mondays Long Song series. 10 minutes of percussive, tribal influenced ride that will work well in any club.

Glam Again

Next week I will fulfill 60 years being on this planet and the more I come to this date the more I reflect what happened in these decades. Many great things happened to me as well some horrible times I had to stand. So I am in a sentimental mood for my very young days when I raised with glam rock. It was the days I fell in love with music and can't resist it after all these years. So today I will feature some of these songs that made my very younger days.

Monday's Long Song

In late 1989 British electronic group released their first single Chime that lifted dancefloor music to another level. Since then many artists in the house scene seemed to be trained and inspired by this song. There is nothing more to say that this one is brilliant and a classic.

Orbital - Chime

It'll All Be Over

Certainty the summer is not distant any more if such sunny songs are published. This song is by Gerry Read, the new sign by DJ Koze to his Pampa label. Read is a British producer now trying to release an album. And Koze did a remix of one of his songs. It is a relaxed sunny disco-house track with strings and guitar and perfect for a ride in an open car. The summer can come

Shark Tank

Here's a little bit of rockabilly by Montreal artist and one man band Bloodshot Bill for your pleasure. It is a two and a half minute gem in the tradition of twang and bluesy rockabilly. It is from his forthcoming album Hang Ten and it is a piece of music I listened a few times during the last days.

Django DANCE

My youngest brother is active on Spotify as well crating new playlists during the year. One of them he named Django DANCE and he compiled early and popular tracks that got famous to many people. The list spreads from the early 80's to the 90's and I think it is worth to feature some tracks at this place. Songs I think all will know well and probably never listened to them for many years.

Genetic Engineering

This song came to my ears a few days ago and I can't get it out of my mind. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark released this song in 1983 and it was a song that made the summer of this year. It is not a song that should be played daily but a song that comes close to a perfect pop song. Combined with the footage of Metropolis by Fritz Lang it is still a pleasure to watch and crawling back to the days of the early 80's. 

Those Were The Days

For RSD The Wedding Present released a compilation of their sessions for John Peel. Guitar player Peter Solowka hat Urkrainian roots and they decided to play in these session to play his standards in a way new wave should be played. On of those they named Davny Chesy and for me it a cover by Mary Hopkin's chart success These Were The Days. a song from the 60's. This song is a great by all covers that are made during the last decades. Enjoy it now.

The Wedding Present - Davny Chesy
Mary Hopkin - Those Were The Days
Leningrad Cowboys - Those Were The Days

Monday's Long Song

It was in late 1985 when Kevin Rowland released the third album by Dexy's Midnight Runners. He was on the commercial hight after releasing Too-Rye-Aye. It could be easy on him to make another foot-stomping album collecting some other traditional or soul music. But he tried the hard way and released an album no one ever expected. He moved into songwriting and arranging songs like they did in the late 60's. The songs of this sadly underrated album were full of fantastic arrangements and harmonies even the Beach Boys couldn't do better. This Is What She's Like is the leading track of Don't Stand Me Down for me and shows all abilities Kevin is able to do. A forgotten masterpiece.

Dexy's Midnight Runners - This Is What She's Like