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Fight Night - Friday December 21

Nov 23 playlists: The Phantom

Bob Wills and his Western Playboys - Get with it / Konono No. 1 - Kule Kule reprise / Jakobinarina - His lyrics are disasterous [sic] (Beat Totem remix)
Dub Offenderz vs Justin Timberlake - My Love (4x4 vocal dub)
Sean Kingston - Beautiful Girls (Suicidal) (DJ Kucia Speed Garage/4x4 remix)
The Teenagers - Homecoming (Gentlemen Drivers Rave Remix)
Roisin Murphy - Dear Miami
Cocktail Vomit - Everybody
Madonna - Everybody ('81)
Kate Nash - Foundations
GoldieLocks - Waste Man
Elvis Costello and the Attractions - This Year's Girl
Jack Penate - Torn on the Platform
Fixkes - Kvraagetaan (reggae remix)
The Chemical Brothers - Das Spiegel
Royksopp - Remind Me
The Whip - Divebomb
DJ Herve - Cheap Thrills
BT vs The Doors - Break on Through (to the other side)
Tapedeck - Destiny (Lillica Libertine's Knight Club remix)
Dragonette - I get around (Midnight Juggernauts remix)
Ike & Tina Turner - Nutbush City Limits
The Majestics - Funky Chick
Talking Heads - The Great Curve
Suzy Q - Get on up and do it again
Franz Ferdinand - Take me out
Colourbox - Breakdown (Original 12" version).

Nov 23 playlists: DJ Jammer's video mix

From Extra: A Selection of Outstanding Electronic Music Videos:

DJ Shadow - Six Days
RJD2 - The Horror
Stereo MC's - We Belong in this World Together
Leftfield & Roots Manuva - Dusted
Red Snapper - Some Kind of Kink
Funkstörung - Grammy Winners.

Another Side Of...James Holroyd

We said to expect the unexpected and that's what we got. Everything from M. Craft's cover of 'She sells sanctuary' to the League Unlimited Orchestra. A thoroughly entertaining and thoroughly danceable hour and three quarters from Mr. James Holroyd. Many thanks to Boggy, and to Carl for driving him down from Antwerp (not forgetting Tom and Ed for letting him play for us). Respect!

Radiohead vs The Smiths

Seems like our Fight Night bout on December 21st is well-timed. Check out Radiohead covering The Headmaster Ritual here.

DJ Jammer's second set (from second November)

Squarepusher - My red hot car
Spooky - Stereo
Simian Mobile Disco - System
Digitalism - Pogo
Todd Rundgren - Breathless
Harry Thumann - Underwater
Junior Boys - The Equalizer
Hot Chip - Shake a fist
Magazine - Sweetheart contract
The Beatles - Hey Bulldog!
The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Going to Hell

The Velvet Underground - Rock and Roll
Neu! - E-Musik.

DJ Jammer plays the 'cocaine cowboys'

Pete Drake - Star Gazing
The Everly Brothers - So sad (to watch good love go bad)

The Flying Burrito Brothers - Hippie Boy
Gram Parsons - Hearts on Fire

The Byrds - Tulsa County

Slim Westerns - Gulch
Bonnie Raitt - You've been in love too long
Mike Nesmith - Highway 99 with Melange
Joni Mitchell - California
The Grateful Dead - Attics of my life

Judee Sill - There's a ragged road

JD Souther - Some people call it music
Jackson Browne - Fountain of sorrow

David Crosby - Song with no words (tree with no leaves)
Gene Clark - No other
Carole King - I feel the Earth move
Little Feat - Juliette

Neil Young - Cinnamon Girl

Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy.

Plus selected images from Two Lane Blacktop and Grand Theft Parsons.

It's all right

The Phantom has just written a piece for the launch of our friend DJ Sensu's new blog. It's in honour of the Chicago House classic, It's All Right. Sterling Void has been asked to comment: let us know what you think.

Gijs on the case

Ladies and gentlemen, for your pleasure, here is the playlist for Gijs Ramboer's excellent set from the last MMM. Plenty of great stuff here:

Justus Köhnke - Albatros (Kompakt)
The Vegetable Orchestra - Ciboulette (luciano rmx) (Karmarouge)
Todd Sines & Natacha Labelle - come closer (planet-e)
Chemical Brothers - Believe (Matthew Johnson rmx)
Honolulu - Digitaline (luciano rmx) (Cadenza records)
Recloose - ain't changing (planet-e)
Right Side Reverse - Invisible (Nathan's hide & seek rmx) (Cyclo Records)
Swayzak - Smile & Receive (Cassy beatmix) (!K7)
Home & Garden feat. Nicolette - Innocent (Swayzak rmx) (Nordictrax)
Tim Wright - the ride (luciano rmx)(novamute)
Swayzak - >s:k:< (Airbag craftswork)
Mitte Karaoke - Suktinis (wmf records)
Matthew Herbert - Mistakes (housey mix) (tresor)
Jeff Samuel - Blap (Poker flat)
Dr rockit - Café del flor (charles webster mix) (lifelike).

FACT about Belgium

The Phantom is now the official Belgian distributor of the UK's always excellent FACT magazine - home of some of the best writing about the best new music and the most relevant old stuff. To pick up your (free) copy head down to Cafe Central (Place St Gery), Lost in Music (Plattesteen) or La Quarantaine (Rue Lesbroussart, Ixelles), or come to the next Music Muziek Musique. If you would like to reserve a copy email Justin at mmmbrussels@gmail.com.

It's like a mini-festival!

Here's the complete line-up for our show on November 23rd at Smouss Cafe. Hope to see you there!

That was Niche

The Collins article also jumps on the Niche bandwagon (rather boringly rebranded as Bassline). Here, in case you missed it, is The Phantom's piece on the genre, originally posted at Different Day in July. Apologies if any of the links are now broken.

This is Niche

Disclaimer: I know nothing about Niche other than what I can surmise from watching a few videos and reading the comments on You Tube.

Niche (aka bassline) is a new genre of music sweeping the North of England and the Midlands.
Niche is a combination of UK Garage, Grime, 'Ardkore, and R&B.
Niche is named after a nightclub - Niche in Sheffield - continuing a fine tradition that includes House music (named after the Warehouse in Chicago) and Garage (named after New York's Paradise Garage).
Niche is not just in Niche - see also: Maximes in Wigan; Sheridans in Dewsbury; Malia, Greece.
Niche follows the classic North/South divide in UK clubland (think jungle vs. happy hardcore): a little less cool, a little more proletarian, certainly more utilitarian, a lot more fun.
Niche sometimes reminds me of Steve Walsh (Hello MC Bonez)!
Niche will be massive (like Manchester City). The Broomstick Song by Suspex will lead the way.
Niche will annoy the fuck out of a lot of people.
Niche is sik! (so I'm told).
Niche is dead (if an old man like me is writing about it).
Niche will never die!
Niche does not exist (says Billy CCS).

So not Whoreditch

Well, our friends Tapedeck are safely back in London. While they were over in Brussels they discovered they have been identified as figureheads of a spurious new genre, 'Whoreditch', as made up here by The Guardian's Hattie Collins. What next? 'Nashment'? The sound of Outer London singer-songwriters strumming in the kitchen at a Blaise Bellville bashment? (;-)

90 minutes (plus added time)

Here's The Phantom's playlist from Friday night:

Kate Bush - Army Dreamers
Jean-Jacques Smoothie - Two People (Niche Gun Shot)
Afro Rizn - Mokete
Femi Kuti - Beng Beng Beng
Dynasty - I don't want to be a freak (but I can't help myself)
Clara Mondshine - Die Drachentrommier (Pilooski edit)
David Byrne & Brian Eno - Regiment
Ginuwine - Pony
JDS & Benja Styles mix - Headbangers
Chromeo - Bonafied Lovin (Riot in Belgium and Ooh-ee remix)
Feist - My moon, my man (Boyz Noise Classic Mix)
The Beat Club - Security (Bernard Sumner remix)
Kylie Minogue - Can't Get Blue Monday Out Of My Head / Can't Get You Out Of My Head (Soulwax Rock Version)
Interpol - Mammoth (Erol Alkan Rework)
The Cult - Wild Flower
Rolling Stones - Undercover of the Night
Crown Heights Affair - You gave me love
Tronik Youth - We Are
The Passions - Emergency (radio edit)
Bring out the Gimp/Biologia
Lost Valentinos - CCTV (Bang Gang vs Van She Tech Remix)
S'Express - Theme from S'Express

Windows, come alive!!!

A big thanks to Tapedeck, Gijs and everyone who came Friday night!! Lots of great memories. Look out for some video footage shortly.

See you on Friday the 23rd for Another Side Of... James Holroyd, plus a set from Belgium's finest rockabilly DJ (and in a country where rockabilly is a serious business, that's no mean feat). Slick, guitarist with Eddie Tornado et les Scandaleux, will be the man with the vinyl. All this and the usual high-quality fare from Jammer & The Phantom. Don't miss out!

Reminder - Tapedeck tonight!!!!

Tapedeck is coming to Brussels...

Music Muziek Musique is very pleased to present London's Tapedeck DJs, organisers of the infamous BOSH! parties and remixers par excellence (Klaxons, Kate Nash, Good Books, Jack Penate, etc, etc).

Plus, hear Another Side Of...Gijs Ramboer. The Radio Limburg man proves there's more to him than a Kim Clijsters novelty record (Kimburg).

All this and your eclectic residents: DJ Jammer & The Phantom

Friday November 2nd@Windows
Rue Philippe de Champagne 50 Champagnestraat, Brussels 1000 (near Anneessens/Rue du Midi)
21:30 till late
Entry: 6 euros (free before 22:30)

www.myspace.com/musicmuziekmusique

The sound of split-knee brushed denim

Tomorrow night at Music Muziek Musique I'll be playing a selection of tracks by the so-called 'cocaine cowboys' - Southern Californian singer-songwriters and country-rock acts from the early 70s, including Gene Clark, Joni Mitchell, Judee Sill, Bonnie Raitt and Little Feat.
Pre-Punk, anything from the US singer-songwriters, in particular stuff on the Asylum label and out of Laurel Canyon was the hippest thing around. I remember going into Virgin Records on Newton Street in Manchester, which was about the size of a telephone box compared with today's Megastores and rushing to the last rack in the corner where they had all the latest US imports. You had to pay more for the privilege, but you got a thicker card sleeve and 180 gram vinyl.
If the album was released at all in the UK you would usually have to wait at least three months, and there weren't many import copies, so you had to be quick to get there first.
Having that import sticker was a badge of hipness - some people would buy anything on Asylum.
Another shop in Manchester where you could get imports was Black Sedan, near the poly on Oxford Road. When I first moved to Manchester at the end of '74, for 3 months I stayed at a guy called Phil's place who had spent 400 quid of his student grant on American imports from Black Sedan. We spent most of our time sitting around smoking joints and listening to the stuff.
The US material was completely different to the excesses of prog and metal, the main sounds coming out of the UK at the time. It was song-based and prog had disappeared up its own arse. The 'cocaine cowboys' were a big influence on pub rock - groups like Brinsley Schwarz, Chilli Willi and Man, they were big West Coast fans. In fact, a lot of those groups were active from the early 70s, so it was really proto-pub rock.
I was in a pub rock group that was originally called Loose Salute, after one of Michael Nesmith & The First National Band's albums (Loose Salute, 1970). Later, we changed the name to Bicycle Thieves, in homage to Vittorio De Sica. I sang and played rhythm guitar, and a guy called Richard Wright played lead (not the one from Pink Floyd - this Richard Wright would later achieve some success with Latin Quarter). For a time we were joined by a Fender Rhodes electric pianist and songwriter called Howard Jones (yes, the same one).
But by the time we had come out of the rehearsal room perfecting our West Coast harmonies and winsome guitar interplay, the winds of change were upon us and punk had arrived. Although we did manage to record a few radio sessions, sell out several nights at the Band on the Wall and get a nice review from Paul Morley.
When punk came along it wiped away everything before it, good and bad. And it's taken a while for stuff like this to get reassessed. Barney Hoskyns' book [Hotel California: Singer-Songwriters and Cocaine Cowboys in the LA Canyons, 1967-1976] has certainly helped spur interest and bands like Midlake have something of a a Laurel Canyon/country-rock feel about them, while Norah Jones has covered Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark.

Stuart James, aka DJ Jammer (with thanks to Justin Toland and Nick Tomlin)