Hauraki Hoedown Highlight - The Black Keys

Bob started it all out with the radio equivalent of a treatable neurosis, by playing nearly 3 hours worth of songs with the word 'radio' in them. I heard a Monty Python track, "I Bet They Won't Play this Song on the Radio" which I'd never have expected to ever hear on the radio - but that's the Beach for you... my pick for the night though was one by the blues unit the Black Keys.

I've been playing tracks off this 6 song CD by the Black Keys for a couple of weeks now, but I think that the track I played this monday, My Mind is Ramblin' is really the one i'm holding on to. It's a fuzzy hard-picked guitar groove with a hook that the White Stripes can only dream about at night. From a CD called Chulahoma, the Akron, OH two-piece The Black Keys on the Fat Possum label pay tribute to the late Junior Kimbrough the first artist to record for Fat Possum. Kimbrough was friend of the late R.L. Burnside - another Fat Possum label mate who sadly passed away earlier this year. The Keys stripped down drum and guitar sound pay homage to this North Mississippi Hill Country sound that seems to finally be finding it's place alongside much of the more famed blues locales and sounds. I also played the brief phone message from Kimbrough's wife that thanks the Keys for doing such a fine tribute to late husband - nice addition.

Download: Meet Me in the City by the Black Keys.

For a full list of what I played, see Casa de Country Mike.

DJ Simon - The Mix and Mash Radio Show - 7th May 2006

Soulwax - Slowdance
A fabulous opener from my favourite Belgian brothers Soulwax (AKA 2manydjs). This track is taken from a recent 'This is Radio Soulwax' CD available with last months Mixmag - Electro Techno, bombastic rock to disco and chunky swirling gutars and saxophones - Blindin'

For more info on Soulwax/2manydjs go to http://www.soulwax.com/

TRACK OF THE WEEK

Arthur Baker ft Tim Wheeler - Glow the Freelance Hellraiser Guitarmageddon remix
I've been playing the original version of this for a couple of weeks and stumbled on this Freelance Hellraiser remix when I was looking for his first (official) release 'Pound for Pound' (which I still haven't found yet). Glad I did too! There's a great Hooky bassline, slashing guitars and the Ash singer’s imperfect vocals. This could almost be a mid-’80s New Order single and the Freelance Hellraiser works his electro flair.

Lindstrom - Another station
Another Station is a balearic disco-number with cheesy early-house-piano, 8bit bontempi-drums and lush flanger-strings, perfect for those really late nights/early mornings. There's a great Todd Terje remix of ths kicking around aswell that picks up the speed and incorporates harmony-vocals and a new totally irresistible bass-line.

Scissor Sisters v Fischerspooner v Pet Shop Boys - We need a war (DJ Earworm Bootleg)
A quite brilliant mash-up from DJ Earworm incorporating the Scissor sistors 'Filthy Gorgeous' and Fischerspooner's 'We Need A War' with a smattering of the Petshop Boys 'It's a sin' - A brilliant piece of Bedroom Bootleging!

Go to http://www.djearworm.com/ to download this and other DJ Earworm Mash-ups


Velvet Underground vs Chemical Brothers - Dont hold back Sweet Jane (GHP)
Oh I've gone bootleg crazy this week! This is class from the most prolific and commercially succesful bootlegger Mark Vidler the man behind Go Home Productions.

This mash-up fuses .."The Chemical Brothers 'Galvanise' vocals with Velvet Undergrounds 'Sweet Jane' for the main part, held together with all manner of elements that made up MARRS 'Pump Up The Volume'. Adina Howard pops in for some overused acapella duties, whilst U2 and a 'blink and you'll miss it' Blur sample surface for some air towards the end."

Go to http://www.gohomeproductions.co.uk/ to download this and other Go Home Productions tracks.

Cat Power and Karen Elson - I love you (me either)
Fifteen years after his death, Serge Gainsbourg lives again with the release of 'Serge Gainsbourg Revisited' bringing together original muses and younger fans to rework his best songs. This is the first time that Gainsbourg's lyrics have been officially translated into English.

Gainsbourg is revered in France as the nation's greatest popular musician, but in Britain he is perhaps best remembered for the 1969 seduction classic, Je t'aime moi non plus and this Cat Power and Karen Elson track, 'I Love you - me either' is translated directly. Excellent it is too!

Daft Punk v Hard-Fi - Hard To Boot (Dunproofin)
Yet another mash-up ths time from Dunproffin'. Daft Punk's Digital love has always been a Saturday morning favourite for me and it mixes perfectly here with vocal's from Hard-Fi's Hard to beat!

Headman - Moisture (feat Anton Spivac)
Swiss born, Berlin-based Robi Insinna, a.k.a. Headman, is a nu-disco producer on the Gomma label. While his music has a very simple, analog-sounding backdrop like a lot of minimalish electro house, Headman is a master of meticulously placed layers of coy synths, handclaps, and cowbells as with here on this track featuring Anton Spivac on vocals.

Moby - Dream about me (The shortwave set pick 'n mix)
Planet L's been bangin' on about the Shortwave set for a while now which the only reason i got hold of this Moby track. Very good it is too!

Franz Ferdinand ft Jane Birkin - A song for sorry angel
A second track from the Serge Gainsbourg Revisited CD featuring Serge's old muse Jane Birkin.


The 25 Minute mix

Hot Chip - Over and over (solid groove remix)
Cut Copy - Saturdays (Headman Remix) From 2005
LCD Soundsystem - Disco Infiltrator (fks Infiltrated vocal mix)

Hauraki Hoedown Highlight - Josh Ritter

I usually post the playlists for my show over on the Casa de Country Mike blog but I didn't write the songs down last night as I was recording it for a potential podcast, so figured I'd have another listen and post later. But my highlight for the show last night (apart from Willy B. making me go to dead air to fix the horrible buzz we were experiencing - but big ups to him for fixing it!) had to be the two tracks by Josh Ritter that I played, Good Man and Thin Blue Flame.

Ritter's "The Animal Years" is a lyrically complex meditation on well ... the usual subjects, but it's Ritter's rich voice and some awesome production (from a guy who's produced both Mighty Mouse and Iron & Wine) that make this offering stand above many of the similarly styled singer/songwriterish releases of late. I played the pop sounding Good Man and the 9 minute opus Thin Blue Flame. The opening track, Girl in the War is really what sold the album for me originally and you can download that one and Thin Blue Flame from the Josh Ritter Fansite, here: http://www.dougrice.net/joshritter_audio.html

DJ Simon - The Mix and Mash Radio Show - 29th April

TRACK OF THE WEEK

Hot Chip - And I was a Boy From School (Erol Alkan's Extended rework) - Released April 2006

Seems to me that Erol Alkan is trying to 'out DFA' the DFA on this fantastic rework from Hot Chip. The track starts out all moody, bleepy, glitchy electronica with trippy vocals and grows into a low-fi balearic crescendo (if there is such a thing). It is magnificent in so many ways and should appeal to the clubheads out there just as much as the mushroom chompers of this world - Blindin'!


Headman - Moisture (feat Anton Spivac) - Released April 2006

Serious action from Headman, a big player in the new electro disco movement! Moisture is the second single from Headman's acclaimed CD 'On' released on Gomma Germany last month. Given Headman's electro leanings this is a suprisingly up-beat post punk, disco-not-disco, guitar driven track.


Goldfrap - Slide In (DFA Remix) - Released December 2005

Man I love this tune so much, even more than I did on my last posting! and it fills 15 minutes of my show too which is always a bonus! :-) There's something really special about this remix and I’m really feeling the 'Disco DFA' vibe! On another note, given that when it came out in December last year only 100 copies were pressed, I'm rather pleased that I have a copy - What - You mean an mp3 doesn't count? Bugger!


LCD Soundsystem v PartyBen - PartyBen Is Playing at my house - Available online 2006

A great Bootleg this from Party Ben mixing up the LCD Soundsytsem's Daft Punk is playing at my house with Gorillaz, Kate Lenlow, MC Hammer amongst others - Mashup's are dead my arse!!!

For more bootlegs from Party Ben go to: http://www.partyben.com/


Flaming Lips - Yeah yeah yeah song - Released April 2006

Fantastic new and very cheerful single from the Flaming Lips from the new 'At War With the Mystics ' CD, their the twelfth studio album. It seems they've now moved away from the digital sounds that dominated their 2002 release 'Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots' and have taken on a more experimental, organic sound described by leader Coyne as "space-age jazz and progressive Dixieland" - It can't be ignored!


Kylie Minogue - Slow (Chemical Brothers Remix) - Released 2003

An excellent remix of Kylie's Slow from the Chems. Given that Kylie was going through a bit of an Electronica phase at the time of release it's hardly surpising that this glitchy club version of 'Slow' works so well! Good old Kylie, you gotta love her - And such a nice arse too!

Go to http://www.chimeric.demon.co.uk/diversity/articles/airbrush.html for further information about Kylie's arse!


Spank Rock - Rick Rubin (xxxchange electro remix) - Released March 2006

An ode to the bearded Zenmeister of maximum noise-creation, This track 'Rick Rubin' is in fact Spank Rock’s very own, somewhat cryptic brag suggesting that, just as Rick Rubin transformed modern music in the mid-eighties, now Spank Rock are going to do the same for the mid-noughties. The track itself has tonnes of squelching bass, bizarre latin percussion, talking drums, random electronic squeaking, robot voices, and a rhyme from Spank Rock himself that skips through concepts and ideas at such speed that it leaves you dizzy.


Franz Ferdinand - The Fallen (Justice Clique Edit) - Released March 2006

A brilliant re-working of Franz Ferdinand's current single from one of my favourite remixmeisters!!! Some people (ie. Planet L) say it never really gets going - Tosh!!!! ;-)


Coldcut - True Skool - Released April 2006

The new single from Coldcut's latest album 'Sound Mirrors' out on Ninja Tune records.


The DJ Simon 25 Minute Mix

Lifelike and Kris Menace - Discopolis
Lindstrom - Another day (Todd Terje remix)
Tiga - Far from home (DFA remix)


This just in:

DFA Records have finally released 'The DFA - The Remixes Chapter One' this month. The CD collects 9 of the DFA Remixes done since their inception in 2001, starting with the first ever, "Deceptacon" by Le Tigre. The full track listing is as follows:

1. Deceptaon - Le Tigre
2. Mars Arizona - Blues Explosion
3. The Boxer - The Chemical Brothers
4. Another Excuse - Soulwax
5. Dance To The Underground - Radio 4
6. Emerge - Fischerspooner
7. Dare - Gorillaz
8. Orange Alert - Metro Area
9. (Just Like We) Breakdown - Hot Chip

Volume 2 will be released sometime in September

For more info go to: http://www.dfarecords.com/

That's it for this week, more next!!

Waiheke Musicians to Play LIVE ON THE BEACH

MEDIA RELEASE 28 APRIL 2006

Waiheke radio station The Beach 99.4fm will mark NZ Music Month with a series of live broadcasts by local musicians. Island artists will be playing original material and classic kiwi covers each Sunday evening during May. The performances will be broadcast live at 6pm on Counting the Beat, the stations specialist NZ music show.

This will be the fourth year the popular Live on The Beach series has run. Counting the Beat host Chris Walker said, “Waiheke Islanders love to hear and support local music. The Beach is pleased to support local musicians and give everyone the opportunity to hear them”.

Live on The Beach kicks off on Sunday May 7 with one of the islands most accomplished musicians, Katy Soljak. She will be playing new material and pulling out a surprise kiwi cover. Other acts this year include Katy Soljak, teenage singer/songwriter Genevieve Cohen, hip-hop duo Charlie Brown and Billy Fluid, and local songstresses Lou and Ange.

Christchurch: City That Shines

This week I spent some time in Christchurch so I've decided that this weeks Counting the Beat show will focus on the pearl of the Canterbury Plains. The show is an A to Zed of Christchurch music. This post is an online accompaniment featuring some of my favourite Christchurch bands, labels and record shops.

Loves Ugly Children: I loved this band. Noisy guitars, great pop melodies and a fantastic live show. There is an excellent band biography at thebigcity.co.nz. I have to admit to having had a bit of a crush on bass player Floss back in the day. That's a photo of the band to the left. The title of this post, City That Shines, is the title of a LUC song from their Cold Water Surf EP.


The Gordons: The greatest band in New Zealand history? Flying Nun have a bio and release information.

Galaxy Records: This is, in my humble opinion, one of the top record shops in the land. For indie/alternative it is No. 1. Want the latest Dead C album, or a 7" single by Napier guitar soundscape heroes Jakob? Then Galaxy is the shop for you. They don't have a website but you can find them at 227 High St, Christchurch. Ph. 379 8852. Email: galaxyrecords@actrix.gen.nz

Failsafe Records: This label is currently releasing a deluge of great Christchurch music from the eighties and nineties. Check out their download page. You can get songs by several bands featuring on this weeks show; Loves Ugly Children, Pop Mechanix, Pumpkinhead. Plus I recommend you have a listen to some great bands I didn't have time for; Children's Hour, YFC, and Substandard. Buy some of their releases.

The Undercurrents: A contemporary Christchurch band with a classic NZ indie sound. They have released three singles and an EP that are incredibly hard to find. Check out their MySpace site or download some tracks here.

You can also buy some great Christchurch compilations. Failsafe Records have a great collection called Accident Compilation, or check out Christchurch: The Music.

Counting the Beat - NZ music every Sunday 6 - 7pm

NZ Music Month on The Beach

NZ Music Month is coming up soon. Once again we will be hosting our fantastic Live on The Beach series. Each Sunday during May Counting the Beat, our specialist NZ music show, will feature a live performance by a local Waiheke musician. Each act performs some of their own material and a classic kiwi cover. This year will be series number four! I first started my show on the station in April 2003 and jumped straight into the live series. That first year we even organised a free concert in the Artworks courtyard right outside the station. Ten local acts in five hours with a budget of $60.

This year I am looking to push the technical limits of our studio, currently held together with sticky tape and string, by hosting some full band set-ups, rather than just the solo and duo acts of past years. One thing that will stay the same is the emphasis on promoting teenage and young musicians. The photo is of 11 year old Ben Kara performing as aprt of the series last year. Ben will be playing at the Waiheke Community Library this May as part of the Auckland City Library NZ Music Month programme.

If you are interested in performing on Live on The Beach, or can help with equipment please post a comment with some contact details.

Live on The Beach kicks off on Sunday May 7 at 6pm. Listen in on the web. The link is on the right of this post.

Country Mike appears on Contrast Podcast #3

Yeaaah haaa!!!... yea right.

Country Mike's no straw chewing farmer type line dancing away his friday nights doing the bootscootin' boogie, forget that - I'm more of the high-tech redneck type. Lately i've been listening to the Contrast Podcast - the idea is pretty simple: a theme is set and bloggers and podcasters from all over the world are invited to send in one song + a minute or so of banter. The last theme was "the perfect 3 minutes" and your's truly, Country Mike, sent in a fine little bluegrass number by a band called Jim and Jenny and Pinetops called "My Grey and Fading Dreams" which came in at exactly 3 minutes. Mine is about 52 minutes into the podcast, but there's a lot of interesting stuff on this podcast including an 11 year old Bjork singing a beatles cover and a fine track by Sparklehorse who have put music to a William Blake poem called "London". There's a few more interesting bits in between. The great thing about listening to podcasts is you can fast-forward - it's like Tivo for radio. Speaking of podcasts we've got a few ourselves at Beach Radio - there's a couple listed here on the right. I've listened to the Counting the Beat one which is good - covers NZ Surf Music and an interview with a guy from the Boxcar Guitars who released on of my favourite CDs of last year.