It’s full of funk (Tek Box, Bangalter & more)

I just got fresh batch of lovely vinyl. When it comes to record shopping I like to gamble. I’m rarely seen at the decks of the local record store for 45 minutes trying to decide what piece of plastic to bring home with me. If the random fifteen seconds (wherever I lay my needle is home) I listen to sound good I usually part with cash with a smile on my gullible lips. When it comes to online shopping I’m even worse. If it sounded good on my laptop’s speakers, at work, in a noisy office, with a head about to a-splode of caffeine it’s good enough. Needless to say I’ve bought a couple of crappy 12″s. This time it seems I’ve struck mainly gold…

Tek Box – Express / Move Your Hips

Glasgow Underground is one of those “I so badly wanna work with these guys I’ll cut off my left foot” kind of labels. I’m not saying that Carli and that other guy are now cripples, rather that this piece of funk deserves to be in that kind of company. There are edits of both tracks and for once these are really edits – not remixes. Discogs lists this as Italo but that can only be attributed to collective short memory. In my ears this is funk the way it always was and always will be. A couple of 80’s sounds won’t make Amin Peck out of it. If you haven’t already – stop by their myspace, then buy the funcker.

Thomas Bangalter – Trax On Da Rox vol. 2

I honestly didn’t believe this one was still available brand spanking new but I guess anything Daft doesn’t really stop selling. Good for me. “Extra Dry” is extra awesome. And the other tracks are rough and rocking as well.

Since I didn’t have this little gem on vinyl I had to get it. “U&Me’s Unpacked Deck-Track Dub” is my track of choice.

It is, in fact, a Tensta Thing

The promo of Adam Tensta’s upcoming debut album “It’s A Tensta Thing” landed at the office last week and it has barely left my speakers since. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the best album to likely go by largely unnoticed by the general public of 2007. I’m not a hip hop afficionado (though I know a few) but I know Funk when I hear it. And Tensta is shock full of it. (And my hip hop afficionado friends share my feelings.)

The next single, aptly named “My Cool” will drop on the 6th of November but I assume people more in the know than me heard it on mixtapes three months-ish ago. I do, late as I may be, predict that this should fill dancefloors aplenty the coming spring. Addeboy vs. Cliff (who also produced Adam’s first single “They Wanna Know”) have provided a solid track as suited for Bagheera as for Glory Boat. (Yes, I’m having a Gothenburgian moment. Live with it.)

Adam, in case you ever succumb to the pleasures of ego Googling and end up reading this; let me know if you wanna make some music.

A.D.S.R. (Simian Mobile Disco)

Everything Idealism is not, Attack Sustain Decay Release is. This could possibly be the best, if not the album of the entire New Rave-/French Touch-/Electro-/It’sJustElectroRockButWeCan’tAdmitIt-era.

ADSR is solid from the brilliant booklet (spoons? spoons!) all the way down to the new versions of their old hits. It never lets me down. (Ok, I actually like the old mix of “I Believe” better. But not by much.) The new tracks are mostly brilliant; “Wooden” is the track Lindstrøm lacked on his latest album. (I haven’t written about that one yet – my mind’s not entirely made up.)

In short I’m happy that there’s finally a good summary of what those magic club nights last summer felt and sounded like. That’s not to say that this album doesn’t point out new interesting directions. It does that too.

“Sequel?”

Constructive Criticalism

How cool is Digitalism’s album? I’d say it’s pretty cool. I’d say that it doesn’t really cut it as an album. I think they should have taken the two best tracks, made a couple of remixes and released it as two EP’s instead. That would have been killer.

Oh, wait. They already did just that? And then they took rehashed versions of these two ep’s and their remixes*, made a couple of new tracks based on the melodies of Zdarlight and Idealistic, (with annoying sub par indie rock cliché vocals) made an ugly ass cover and released it as Idealism? So, what’s left by then?

Theft, people. Theft. I want my money and the five hours I’ve spent listening to it (trying to “get” it) back. Now.

* Digitalism in Cairo does sound a whole lot better on the album than on the white label, though.

Turning it down

Midnight ramblings. You have been warned.

I just wrote the most terrifying text message in a long time. A very long time. I guess I know why I love my friends now, judging from the responses I’ve received so far. Anyways…

I think I’m about to pretty much just collapse. Can you believe I haven’t listened to New Young Pony Club, like, ever before today? (Promo CDs, I love you.) I’ve seen the songs everywhere, their Myspace-page on everyone’s top-whatever and remixes all over the place. Still. A pretty uncharacteristic attention slip. I need a vacation badly. Sleep for fifteen days and then start catching up on music, love, Slottskogen and… you know… life again.

The album? Fucking brilliant. I don’t care if they are out of fashion by months already. Hell, I even listen to Klaxons every once in a while. Shows how much I care to care at the moment.

We’re playing at Glory Boat the day after tomorrow. Right now I see it as my temporarily-going-away party. And it’s going to be a blast.