2 Many DJ's - 2002 - As Heard On Radio Soulwax, Pt. 2

Soulwax members Stephen and David Dewaele inaugurated the alias 2 Many DJ's for a series of radio-show mix sessions, few (if any) of which were recorded live; with the magic of computer processing, the pair spent hours constructing pinpoint mixes with editing software, deconstructing pop music of the '60, '70s, and '80s with multiple layers of familiar songs. And as unlikely as it appeared they'd ever be able to issue a proper album, 2 Many DJ's debuted a full-length mix with 2002's As Heard on Radio Soulwax, Pt. 2, a feat of licensing endurance and computer-aided mixing with few parallels at this early date in the history of mash-ups. (It's available only as an import, fully licensed and bonded for the notorious Benelux countries alone.) An hour-long mix with nary a pause for breath, the disc balances late-period electro-techno with some of the most hilarious one-over-another collisions of previously unimagined duets in history. When the vocal on a pitched-up "I'm Waiting for the Man" finally drops out, it's difficult not to be a little shocked once you realize that midway the beat morphed into "Dance to the Music," and Lou Reed's hip whine is replaced by an a cappella version of "Oh Sheila." Sexual frustration (the Stooges' "No Fun") competes with sexual release (Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It"), the wistful one-shot "I Wish" by Skee-Lo sounds a bit more extroverted when pasted over the Breeders' "Cannonball," and "Independent Woman, Pt. 1" by Destiny's Child gradually gives way to "Independent Woman, Pt. 0" -- that is, Dolly Parton's "9 to 5." There's as many incredible rare grooves on this record as there are familiar shots, a sure tribute to 2 Many DJ's as combination collectors/mixers/taste-makers than anything else. Most of the ideas here really aren't new -- just talk to Grandmaster Flash or Kool Herc about borrowing any records at hand to keep a crowd moving -- but 2 Many DJ's have acres of talent and great ideas about constructing a mix record.

1 Peter Gunn Theme/Where's Your Head At [Head-A-Pella] Mancini 2:49
2 Fuck the Pain Away Peaches 1:38
3 I'm Waiting for the Man Reed 0:57
4 J'Aime Regarder Les Mecs/Dance to the Music/Oh Sheila [Acapella] 0:57
5 I Wanna Be Your Dog Alexander, Asheton, Asheton, Pop 1:44
6 Disko Kings 1:28
7 The "O" Melody/Silverscreen-Shower Scene 2:56
8 No Fun/Push It 2:31
9 Joe le Taxi/Crush on You [Acapella] Langolff, Roda Gil 2:28
10 Funkacise/Motocross Madness/French Kiss 3:03
11 Serious Trouble Mukai, Zongamin 1:39
12 Androgyny [Thee Glitz Mix] Erikson, Manson, Marker, Vig 1:16
13 Disc Jockey's Delight, Vol. 2/Kaw-Liga [Prairie Mix] 2:30
14 Shake Your Body 2:11
15 Into the Stars [Firebird Remix] 0:58
16 Concepts/99 Luftballons 1:37
17 Independent Women, Pt. 1 /Dreadlock Holiday [Acapella] 3:30
18 9 to 5/Eple Parton 2:29
19 Death Disco 0:43
20 Keine Melodien Jeans Team 1:46
21 I Wish /My Gigolo/Cannonball [Acapella] 3:30
22 Human Fly 1:33
23 Danger! High Voltage 1:42
24 Don't Bring Me Down 1:57
25 Hand to Phone Equation, Kuperus 1:40
26 La Rock 01 Vitalic 2:37
27 I Was Made for Loving You Child, Ponica, Stanley 1:59
28 The Beach/Sandwiches [Acapella] 2:12
29 I Sit on Acid [Soulwax Remix] 2:56
30 Start Button 1:58

¡Aquí!

Wobble, Jah - 2004 - I Could Have Been A Contender

Disc 1

1 Public Image 2:57
2 Fly 2 Wardle 4:01
3 Ketmagyl (Don't Go Away) Cookson, Usmanova, Wobble 4:52
4 Visions of You Adams, Reynolds, Wobble 5:33
5 Mehmeda Majka Budila Sulejmanovic, Wobble 3:09
6 Becoming More Like God Adams, Reynolds, Wobble 3:19
7 Mistralazul 2 Count, Miranda, Sparkes, Wobble 4:07
8 I Offer You Everything Wobble 3:50
9 Shout at the Devil Atlas, Dubulah, Sparkes, Wobble 4:05
10 Blacksmith Carter, Cookson, Traditional, Wardle 5:02
11 Blacksmith Dub Carter, Cookson, Traditional, Wardle 3:38
12 Elevator Music 3 Wobble 5:19
13 Josey Walsh Adams, Reynolds, Wobble 3:57
14 Tyger Tyger Wobble 4:54
15 Requiem III Wobble 6:54

Disc 2

1 Poptones 7:47
2 Betrayal Dub Wobble 6:02
3 How Much Are They Czukay, Wobble 4:47
4 Invaders of the Heart Mix 2 [Mix 2] Maltby, Marland, Murray, Partis… 4:32
5 Swan Lake (Death Disco) 4:11
6 Snake Charmer Czukay, Kevorkian, Marland, Wobble 6:21
7 Songs of Innocence Wobble 6:47
8 Fly 1 Wardle 6:08
9 Funeral March Wobble 4:50
10 Lam Tang Way Dub Wobble 3:31
11 The Dunes McGowan, Wobble 4:58
12 So Many Years Adams, Harrow, Schoots, Wobble 2:52
13 Lam Saravane Dub Laos, Wobble 4:26
14 A Man I Knew Kenelly, Wobble 6:07
15 Elevator Music 1 Wobble 6:28

Disc 3

1 Gone to Croatan Dieng, Laswell, Sanders, Skopelitis… 15:29
2 Spinner Eno, Wobble 2:57
3 A13 Harrow, Wobble 3:44
4 Passage to Hades Bell, Parker, Rasle, Sanders, Wobble 13:33
5 The Mystery of Twilight Part 2 Budd, Heynes, Laswell, Leibezeit… 24:31
6 Left Where It Fell Eno, Wobble 6:57
7 The River Suite (Extract) Wobble 12:41

¡Aquí!

Björk - 1995 - Post

After Debut's success, the pressure was on Björk to surpass that album's creative, tantalizing electronic pop. She more than delivered with 1995's Post; from the menacing, industrial-tinged opener, "Army of Me," it's clear that this album is not simply Debut redux. The songs' production and arrangements -- especially those of the epic, modern fairy tale "Isobel" -- all aim for, and accomplish, more. Post also features Debut producer Nellee Hooper, 808 State's Graham Massey, Howie B, and Tricky, who help Björk incorporate a spectrum of electronic and orchestral styles into songs like "Hyperballad," which sounds like a love song penned by Aphex Twin. Meanwhile, the bristling beats on the volatile, sensual "Enjoy" and the fragile, weightless ballad "Possibly Maybe" nod to trip-hop without being overwhelmed by it. As on Debut, Björk finds new ways of expressing timeworn emotions like love, lust, and yearning in abstractly precise lyrics like "Since you went away/I'm wearing lipstick again/I suck my tongue in remembrance of you," from "Possibly Maybe." But Post's emotional peaks and valleys are more extreme than Debut's. "I Miss You"'s exuberance is so animated, it makes perfect sense that Ren & Stimpy's John Kricfalusi directed the song's video. Likewise, "It's Oh So Quiet" -- which eventually led to Björk's award-winning turn as Selma in Dancer in the Dark -- is so cartoonishly vibrant, it could have been arranged by Warner Bros. musical director Carl Stalling. Yet Björk sounds equally comfortable with an understated string section on "You've Been Flirting Again." "Headphones" ends the album on an experimental, hypnotic note, layering Björk's vocals over and over till they circle each other atop a bubbling, minimal beat. The work of a constantly changing artist, Post proves that as Björk moves toward more ambitious, complex music, she always surpasses herself.



1 Army of Me Bjork, Massey 3:54
2 Hyper-Ballad Bjork, Gudmundsdottir 5:21
3 The Modern Things Bjork, Massey 4:10
4 It's Oh So Quiet Lang, Reisfeld 3:38
5 Enjoy Bjork, Tricky 3:56
6 You've Been Flirting Again Bjork, Gudmundsdottir 2:29
7 Isobel Bjork, De Vries, Hooper, Sjón 5:47
8 Possibly Maybe Bjork 5:06
9 I Miss You B., Bjork 4:03
10 Cover Me Bjork, Gudmundsdottir 2:06
11 Headphones Bjork, Tricky 5:40

¡Aquí!

VA - 1999 - Electro Lounge

Electro Lounge features a meeting of the finest musical minds in the electronica and lounge circles, and celebrates the best of both genres. Classic lounge and vocal jazz cuts by artists like Martin Denny, Yma Sumac, Dean Martin, Julie London, Louie Prima and John Barry are remixed and reworked by contemporary electronic acts like Utah Saints, Gus Gus, Meat Beat Manifesto and Uberzone; the results bring together music's past and future today.

1 Prologue 0:11
2 Hypnotique [Uberzone Remix] Denny 7:07
3 Lonesome Road [Mu-Ziq Remix] Elliott 4:20
4 Watermelon Man [Remix] King Curtis 5:44
5 Tutotial 0:15
6 Sway [Remix] London, Martin 4:45
7 The James Bond Theme [Remix] Holmes 4:45
8 Jump, Jive, An' Wail [Remix] Prima 4:33
9 The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly [Oldskool Gusgus Mix] Holmes 5:29
10 Tutorial 0:10
11 Do It Again [Wagon Christ Remix] Holmes 3:34
12 Seance on a Wet Afternoon [Omni Trio Remix] Barry 5:27
13 Gopher Mambo [Q-Burns Abstract Message Remix] Sumac 5:21
14 Staccato's Theme [Happening at Waldo's Mix] Bernstein 5:16
15 Epilague 0:10
16 Caravan [Eat Static Remix] Buzon 5:47

¡Aquí!

Westbam - 2002 - Right On

		1		Recognize		2:59
		2		Inner City Front		3:31
		3		Roots. Rock. Riot		3:24
		4		Coras Corner		6:38
		5		World Rebellion Plan		3:19
		6		Oldschool Baby		3:59
		7		Psycholectro		4:10
		8		The Disco in My Head		5:22
		9		4th Floor		5:15
		10		Right On		4:00
		11		Air Max		4:58
		12		Bleiben und Abfahren		5:22
		13		Backstage Kings		5:22

¡Aquí!

Prince - 1982 - 1999

With Dirty Mind, Prince had established a wild fusion of funk, rock, new wave, and soul that signaled he was an original, maverick talent, but it failed to win him a large audience. After delivering the sound-alike album, Controversy, Prince revamped his sound and delivered the double album 1999. Where his earlier albums had been a fusion of organic and electronic sounds, 1999 was constructed almost entirely on synthesizers by Prince himself. Naturally, the effect was slightly more mechanical and robotic than his previous work and strongly recalled the electro-funk experiments of several underground funk and hip-hop artists at the time. Prince had also constructed an album dominated by computer funk, but he didn't simply rely on the extended instrumental grooves to carry the album -- he didn't have to when his songwriting was improving by leaps and bounds. The first side of the record contained all of the hit singles, and, unsurprisingly, they were the ones that contained the least amount of electronics. "1999" parties to the apocalypse with a P-Funk groove much tighter than anything George Clinton ever did, "Little Red Corvette" is pure pop, and "Delirious" takes rockabilly riffs into the computer age. After that opening salvo, all the rules go out the window -- "Let's Pretend We're Married" is a salacious extended lust letter, "Free" is an elegiac anthem, "All the Critics Love U in New York" is a vicious attack at hipsters, and "Lady Cab Driver," with its notorious bridge, is the culmination of all of his sexual fantasies. Sure, Prince stretches out a bit too much over the course of 1999, but the result is a stunning display of raw talent, not wallowing indulgence.

		1		1999	Prince	06:15
		2		Little Red Corvette	Prince	05:03
		3		Delirious	Prince	04:00
		4		Let's Pretend We're Married	Prince	07:21
		5		D.M.S.R.	Prince	08:17
		6		Automatic	Prince	09:28
		7		Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)	Prince	04:02
		8		Free	Prince	05:08
		9		Lady Cab Driver	Prince	08:19
		10		All the Critics Love U in New York	Prince	05:59
		11		International Lover	Prince	06:37

¡Aquí!

Deee-Lite - 1990 - World Clique

Its reputation may rest on only one hit single -- but what a hit. "Groove Is in the Heart" defined the summer of 1990 on radio and MTV with its delicious combination of funk, modern dance sheen, and Lady Miss Kier's smart, sharp diva ways. Add in guest vocals and bass from Bootsy Collins (a pity his hilarious video cameo wasn't represented here), brass from the original Horny Horns duo of Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker, and a smooth mid-song rap from A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip, and the results sounded good then and now. The rest of World Clique offers variations on the song's theme, with Kier's sweet, light vocals and DJs Dimitri and Towa Tei making it work in various ways. It's still a bit surprising that Kier didn't go on to greater fame on her own, because she definitely has not merely the pipes but the personality to carry something on her own -- compared to the dog-whistle vocal calisthenics of someone like Mariah Carey, there's no contest. Check out her work on songs like "Good Beat" and the amusing sass of such numbers as "Try Me on, I'm Very You." The two musicians come up with a seamless, adept flow throughout, merrily raiding whatever they so choose in the past for their own purposes. Disco is the heart of it all, with everything from hip-hop breaks to bubble-salsa piano -- even early Depeche Mode! -- taking a bow; hints of the future genre-mashing Towa Tei would make his own trademark are already plentiful. Bootsy and the Horny Horns crop up at other points as well, adding just enough classic funk to blend with the crisper electronic pulses and arrangements.

		1		Deee-Lite Theme [*]	Deee Lite	2:10
		2		Good Beat	Deee Lite	4:40
		3		Power of Love	Deee Lite	4:40
		4		Try Me On...I'm Very You	Deee Lite	5:14
		5		Smile On	Deee Lite	3:55
		6		What Is Love?	Brill, Kirkby, Tei	3:38
		7		World Clique	Deee Lite	3:20
		8		E.S.P.	Deee Lite	3:43
		9		Groove Is in the Heart	Deee Lite	3:51
		10		Who Was That?	Deee Lite	4:35
		11		Deep Ending	Deee Lite	3:47
		12		Build the Bridge	Deee Lite	4:32

¡Aquí!

M People - 1997 - Fresco

M People spent a considerable amount of time on Fresco, the group's fourth album, crafting a record that would break them out of the Europop straitjacket and establish them as an international dance-pop act. In other words, Fresco is less a club album than it is a radio record, filled with carefully constructed songs with strong rhythms, sturdy hooks, and pop-soul melodies. Too bad that much of the record simply isn't as memorable. Sure, there are several potential singles with naggingly catchy melodies and the entire production is appealingly glossy and accessible, but the songs simply aren't there and neither is the charming, unashamed brashness of their early work. A few songs -- the garage techno of "Angel St.," the catchy house of "Fantasy Island" and the sweeping orchestrated pop of "Just for You" -- make the album worthwhile, but on the whole Fresco is a distressing step backward for a group that had yet to make a false move.

		1		Just for You	Heard, Pickering, Small	6:01
		2		Fantasy Island	Heard, Pickering, Small	5:39
		3		Never Mind Love	Heard, Pickering, Small	4:24
		4		Last Night 10,000	Heard, Pickering, Small	5:13
		5		Smile	Heard, Pickering, Small	6:04
		6		Red Flower Sunset	Heard, Pickering, Small	4:57
		7		Angel St.	Heard, Pickering, Small	5:31
		8		Lonely	Heard, Pickering, Small	4:46
		9		Rhythm and Blues	Heard, Pickering, Small	4:17
		10		Believe It	Heard, Pickering, Small	5:08
		11		Bohemia	Heard, Pickering, Small	3:28
		12		Avalon	Ferry	6:02

¡Aquí!