Monday's Long Song

 

Khurangbin is a Texas based three piece band who became known to a wider audience with their album last year. It is less well known that this band has been making phenomenal music for quite some time. In 2021, they released their third album, Mordechai, on which they showcase everything that makes them special to me. Psychedelic-tinged funk with wonderful bass lines and a Balearic guitar. One year later they released a remix album of Mordechai on which they have often sent a very relaxed Balearic sound out into the world.

Khurngbin - Shida (Bella Suite Remix)

Monday's Long Song

 

In the seventies, the cheapest way to travel to other countries was Interrail. For around 120 Euros, you could travel all over Europe by train for a month. My first travel was in 1976 and I explored France and Spain. There I learned to read the timetables and look for cheap accommodation. Of course, I got on the wrong train more than once, but that didn't matter, you just looked around where you were stranded.

A year later, I spent several weeks traveling through Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands with my younger brother. In addition to many impressions and getting to know other travelers, I will never forget Copenhagen. As we strolled through the wonderful old town, we spotted concert posters announcing the Sex Pistols for the evening. We then bought two tickets and went to Daddy's Dancehall, a medium-sized club centrally located in Copenhagen, in the evening. 

To be honest, we felt a bit queasy when we saw heavy motorcycles and wild men in leather in front of the entrance. The venue was dark and the DJ, who played classic rock, was enthroned four meters above the ground. The first song playing as we entered was Faith Healer, one of Alex Harvey's best songs. We then made our way to the back area by the bar, where we also had the best view of the stage.

Apart from God Save The Queen, I had no idea what to expect. When the band came on stage, we experienced the energy of punk for the first time. It was wild, raw, loud and terribly mixed, but with a magic that I had never experienced before. From then on, everything was different for me musically.

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band - Faith Healer

Monday's Long Song

 

If there ever was a band/artist that can be squarely tied to what is now dubbed as ambient country it is the trio that goes under the name of SUSS. SUSS have quickly become the cornerstone of this rapidly evolving genre with their ongoing work on a series of large-scale, slow-moving soundscapes. A few weeks ago they released their last album Birds & Beasts and to be honest, there are no changes to their albums before. Maybe the songs are more spaced out and more wide-screen but still on a very high level. And you don't have to be a huge fan of a pedal steel guitar to enjoy this album.

Monday's Long Song

 

Last Friday our friend JC over at The New Vinyl Villain posted a superb story about Chemical Brothers' Surrender 20th Anniversary Vinyl Box. He was tempted to release a 21 minute version of Out Of Control but finally selected another song. Thankfully he delivered me a copy and after listening to a tour-de-force of dance music I think it is necessary to feature it on this series. Written together with Bernard Sumner from New Order and backing vocals by Bobby Gillespie the song has a fantastic base line and guitar and synths keep pushing this song forward. A mad psychedelic mix full of echoes and beats from an era long gone by but still at the height of time.

Chemical Brothers - Out Of Control (The Secret Psychedelic Mix

Monday's Long Song

Something Wild was one of the best movies from the mid-80's and probably one of the best soundtracks. One of the songs was Pili Pili by Jasper Van't Hof. Van't Hof is a Dutch jazz-pianist and keyboard player. Since the early 70's he played with the creme of jazz musicians and became a leading figure in jazz and fusion. In the early 80's he formed his band Pili Pili where he combined European jazz with African rhythms and danceable grooves. This was maybe one of the first jazz influenced tracks for dancefloor and still his masterpiece for me.

Jasper Van't Hof -  Pili Pili

Monday's Long Song

Led Zeppelin were a British blues band that combined classic blues with heavy sounds. In the late 60's they made the blueprint of many other bands of this genre. I was introduced to this music in the 70's by older friends and I have to admit that they were the entry to many other music I used to listen to in these days. The band was filled with extraordinary artists on drums, bass, guitar and vocals and stamped this genre. This song is from an a compilation of BBC-sessions and other live appearances from the early 70's showing them at the peak of their music abilities.

Dazed And Confused

Monday's Long Song

More and more I think Sweden is the stronghold of new psychedelic rock. So it is not unusual that there can be found the real replacement of Hawkwind. A band named after the first man in space should be obliged to set some footprints in space-rock. Yuri Gagarin is band based in Gothenburg, Sweden and released their third album a few days ago. It is a hectic and loud supersonic instrumental odyssey and I seldom heard something like this. Oneironaut is a bit different in it's style as it is more rooted in krautrock vibes and more contemplative and mental. A  13 minutes ride on hyper constant rhythmic structures and soaring guitar melodies.

Monday's Long Song

In 1987 Prince released his masterpiece Sign O' The Times. Only sometimes I agree to critical acclaim to an album because it is often a kind of hype to me. But the many warm words to this album are more than correct and true. I loved this album from the first time I listened to it.. I don't know any album from the late 80's that stood the test of time like this. Prince was at the height of his songwriting abilities and less double albums are worth to be listened in a row. His way of combining  different kind of music influences like electro-funk, soul, psychedelic rock, gospel, blues and folk is still unmatched.

Prince - It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night

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

Monday's Long Song

Glasgow born singer Alex Harvey was one of the most exciting live performer in the days of glam rock. I think I don't have to spent many words about him and the SAHB than that they were very different in sound and performing in these days. Based on rhythm and blues he created a very own way of heavy music. I found this footage a few weeks ago and it shows everything he was famous for. Intensive, exalted and raw.

Monday's Long Song

1972 former Kraftwerk members Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother formed NEU! a band that was responsible among others for the Krautrock sound of the early 70's. Their first self titled album is a classic ans still on rotation at my home. Hallogallo is the best example of what became famous of what they call motorik. Klaus Dinger's mechanic drum rhythms combined with Michael Rother's melodic-harmonic guitar chords made the sound that influenced a lot of artists decades later.

NEU! -Hallogallo

Monday's Long Song

Something new for this series. A few weeks ago Spiritflesh, the latest collaboration from Bristol-based artists Julian Smith and Boris English released their first full length album. The ones of you that are interested in dance and electronic music might know them as October & Borai. A massive bass collides with tribal sound and heavy synths. This song is a kind of the centrepiece of this album with it's grungy bass, sweeping synths and meditative rhythm. This will be a record I will be on heavy rotation the next days.