life after breakfast

Los Microwaves' Life After Breakfast from 1981. Fun shit. Info here

Los Microwaves - What's That Got To Do
Los Microwaves - Coast to Coast

+ download the thing here

Вокруг Света (Around The World)

This is a collection of 50's/60's instrumentals from "around the world" as included on flexi-disc in Вокруг Света, the Soviet Union's version of National Geographic from back in the day.

Thanks to Yury for providing the info in the comments, I had it all wrong.

Лес Пол (США) - Тико-Тико
Оркестр (Перу) - Лима

+ download the thing here

hey baby hop

Der Plan are progenitors of the dada children's-toy-instrument-sounding strain of german new wave and they do it best. The music is playful but somewhat sinister; creepy in a good way. Genius.

Der Plan - Alle Sieben Jahre
Der Plan - Spacebob

Perlen collects songs from their early albums, but it doesn't contain my favorite Der Plan song "Und Dan" - video below. If anyone has an MP3 of this song please send, I don't have it.


+ Download Perlen here

tanzmusik musik musik

I don't know anything about Deutscher Kaiser and the internet isn't helping, but look how rad:



+ download The Halli-Galli Tanzmusik EP from 1981 here

love is a wonderful color

CD reiusse of The Associates' third album, Sulk, 1982. Trouserpress pans it for all sorts of reasons (tinny production, self-consciousness, dramatic posing), but there's nothing wrong with pretentiousness or over-the-topness for me. Or tinny production, as long as the melodies are this strange and interesting. Billy Mackenzie's vocal flailing and histrionics are grrrreeat.


Associates - It's Better This Way
Associates - Party Fears Two

+ download the thing here

life in la

Ariel Pink & Haunted Graffiti at the Echoplex tonight. Yesss.

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Life in L.A.

Things sounded good when they played on our roof a few months ago, although you can hardly tell from this crappy/amazing video of them warming up with Foilly Foibles Gold:

dull forms in light

Moderne's Moderne from 1980. Minimal synth from France, innocent and sweet and sad melodies dripping down my insides like sap.

Moderne - Vers l'Est
Moderne - Histoire Ordinaire

+ download the thing here

those fucking eyes

I've listened to this John Maus track on repeat 26 times today and counting.

John Maus - Bennington

Also on repeat:



My brain is rotting from ecstatic repetition.

The track is from the Beaterblocker Compilation, interesting story behind it here.

never finished

Arthur Russell / Calling Out of Context / 2004

Arthur Russell - Arm Around You
Arthur Russell - That's Us / Wild Combination

+download the thing here

TRACKS REMOVED AT REQUEST OF RIGHTS OWNER

WILD COMBINATION - A PORTRAIT OF ARTHUR RUSSELL plays in LA for the first time at outfest on July 15. YEAH. there is an afterparty for the screening at WILDNESS.

Die Doraus

This is nearly as good as a thing can be, besides maybe Leoncie. Die Doraus und Die Marinas / Blumen und Narzissen / 1981. Andreas Dorau was only like 16 when this album was made, and the group of schoolgirls billed as Die Marinas were even younger. "Fred Vom Jupiter" is silly and rad and was a hit in Germany at the time, that's how great 1981 was.

Die Doraus und Die Marinas - Einkauf
Die Doraus und Die Marinas - Ich hab das Gluck

+ download the thing here
+ "Fred Vom Jupiter" video:



Thanks to Rob for sending.

zed

The Associates' first album Affectionate Punch from 1980.

The Associates - Amused as Always
The Associates - Transport to Central

+ download the thing here

Marica

Something from La Movida-era Spain in honor of all the kids at Disco Martin's who dance to imported fag pop late late on Thursday nights.

2 Aviador Dro Singles from 1982:

Aviador Dro - Programa en Espiral
Aviador Dro - Nuclear Sí

+ download the things here

La Perle

just got back from paris, stockholm, barcelona, and london. going to post old lost stuff from all those places. here's paris - Les Visiteurs Du Soir by Mathematiques Modernes (1981)



Mathematiques Modernes - A + B = C
Mathematiques Modernes - Disco Rough

+ download the thing here

food and shelter

Early 80s minimal synth/pop/tape collage group from LA. I think they were from Marina Del Rey, or at least their label was?

The album Square Dance (1984) came in a rad metal sleeve. "I Like Smog" comes from the Radio Tokyo Tapes vol. 2 compilation.

Food and Shelter - What is the Problem
Food and Shelter - Changing my mind
Food and Shelter - Nun With a Gun
Food and Shelter - I Like Smog

just because

tonight she will come back to show the world her special powers

Rebbie Jackson - Centipede


Rebbie Jackson - Centipede

visage

First album from Visage, 1980. The whole thing is grrrreeeeeeeaaaaaat. get it get it get it get it fade to grey

some tracks:

Visage - Blocks on Blocks
Visage - Moon Over Moscow

+ download the thing here

dance program

move your body this weekend to more rad early 80s german stuff



Die Doraus Und Die Marinas - Tulpen und Narzissen
Der Plan - Hey Baby Hop

Take Away / The Lure of Salvage

Andy Partridge made this really interesting collage dub album in 1980 with scraps from XTC's Drums and Wires (1979). I bought this a while ago and have been meaning to rip it to MP3 to share but Mutant Sounds already did it. Go get it over there.

on top

Guyer's Connection, minimal synth from Switzerland, 1985.

Guyer's Connection - He Sabine
Guyer's Connection - Les Loupes

+ download full album here

about time

Passage About Time EP from 1979. 3 songs about time.

Passage - Taking My Time

+ Click here to download the thing

in celebration

Lucas Trouble - Miss Syphilis
Ultravox - Quiet Men

BECAUSE

John Maus is playing at Tiny Creatures tomorrow night

and there is a god

John Maus - This Is The Beat

null and void

Very european sounding minimal synth / new wave stuff from Orange County, 1980. Un Sedatif Ce Soir starts with prison fetish queerness - "I saw a guard in a gay bar, drinking water and gin, I saw him dancing with my boyfriend, he drove a volkswagon" - before turning into a faux-french darkwave dance track that is really really good.

From the Happiness and Contempt 12":

Null and Void - All The Old Humans
Null and Void - Un Sedatif Ce Soir

IN LUST

From The Dance's first album, In Lust, 1981. Eugenie Diserio's vocals on the first track remind me of Janet from Softboiled Eggies and vocals on the second song sound a lot like the B-52 girls.

The Dance - Breakout
The Dance - In Lust

play dead

weird out / dance party / german stuff from 1981. (die gesunden track is from 1982)

Die Tanzdiele - Strandgut
Die Kapazitat - Keiner Hort Auf Mao
Die Partei - Fohn In Den Bergen
Die Gesunden - Der Weg Zum Erfolg

Blame it on disco

Cristina's tropical mutant disco debut on Ze Records, 1980. Mostly written and produced by August Darnell, and you can tell too.

Cristina - Blame it on Disco

Click to download full album --> Cristina - Cristina

When you're a boy

you're hot. Released in 1979 as a publicity stunt, shortly before the original David Bowie version. Billy Mackenzie does it better.

The Associates - Boys Keep Swinging

das kabinette / the cabinet

Their only single, from 1983. minimal synth sex in a basement cigarettes, dart board covered in gay porn rain boots lying on the floor, why do i love/hate cold

Das Kabinette - The Cabinet
Das Kabinette - Fudge It

+buy

oh no, it's you /

The Passions / Michael and Miranda / 1981

i don't know why they aren't more popular. barbara gogan has an amazing voice

songs

The Passions - Pedal Fury
The Passions - Oh No, It's You

full album

The Passions - Michael and Miranda

from other albums

The Passions - Skin Deep
The Passions - Africa Mine


+ buy

dance

shake it to the floor / bring it back up

Wibbley Brothers - Der Wawazawa
Can - I Want More
Matthias Schuster - Alles Auf Der Welt
Food and Shelter - I Like Smog

To use you back and front

Faux-misogyny and more more on this Passage EP from 1978. Very great.

Passage - Love Song / Competition
Passage - $lit Machine / New Kind of Love

talk with full mouth

Pizza! used to be the New Motherfuckers. The New Motherfuckers are now Pizza! They make nerdy playful hyper new wave, have two drummers, and play shows in the building I live in so sometimes I hear them from my bedroom.

Pizza! - Repress Yourself!
Pizza! - Houses
Pizza! - Hotlanta
The Avant-Garde Volkpenis (Pizza!) - Blue Moob

These are unmixed recordings from their Myspace, these songs sound better live.

Pizza! at Tiny Creatures last weekend:

It's so

From France, Martin Dupont with with what sounds a little like a subdued Mona Soyoc from KaS Product doing vocals on some tracks. From Sleep is a Luxury (1985):

Martin Dupont - It's So
Martin Dupont - You Are My Jail
Martin Dupont - I Met The Beast



From Spain, Ultima Emoción, very OMD with moments of Power Corruption Lies era New Order. With trademark Spanish lisp. Good but a little overly sentimental sometimes (their name serves as your warning). From Máquinas Románticas (198?):

Ultima Emoción - Máquinas Románticas
Ultima Emoción - Nada Cambiará
Ultima Emoción - La Ultima Fiesta

You are perfect you are sheer

Gina X Performance's first album from 1979, Nice Mover. No G.D.M. references Quentin Crisp 's notable little quote "There is no great dark man" (referring to love, not race, although some probably took it the wrong way) i.e. one doesn't have a soulmate out there who is going to come along and make life perfect. Mr. Crisp also said that AIDS was a fad and homosexuality was a disgusting disease (dry dry dry).

The lineup of synths they used on this album is impressive -- Mini Moog, Polymoog, ARP 2600, ARP Solina, others. I want them all.

Gina X Performance - No G.D.M
Gina X Performance - Black Sheep

Download full album here

+buy Gina X Performance - Nice Mover

I need a time machine

where is my time machine



i could be happy

Altered Images - I Could Be Happy (from Pinky Blue, 1981)
Altered Images - Dead Pop Stars (Single, 1981)

+ buy Pinky Blue from Amazon

Parlour games

Bubonic Plague / Instant Coma sounds like it was made in a Belgian basement in 1980 or something. I once saw them play at the old Parlour Club here in LA (ah memories I miss that place) ad it was great. The album can be purchased from Human Ear Music here.

Bubonic Plague - Polyhedron
Bubonic Plague - Gray Wave City

The Northward Route

Kristian looking sassy

Kristian from Ungdomskulen just sent me a remix he did for fellow Norwegian artist Sissy Wish, whose 3rd album Beauties Never Die is up for a Norwegian grammy. The remix is sexy and nice and good. Kristian does solo stuff as Stockhaus. More songs about phallic items to come?

Sissy Wish - Table 44 (Stockhaus Joggbyksdrama Remix)
Stockhaus - My Banana

Ungdomskulen will be in LA at the Viper room on Feb. 4 and Spaceland Feb. 6.

Flaming Star

It's Elvis Presley's birthday today. I don't really feel one way or the other about Elvis, but I do love this song from Flaming Star, a film he did in 1960. This is one song I can listen to over and over and over again and never get tired of.

Elvis Presley - Flaming Star

More

More john maus

and more gayness

>>>John Maus - Rights For Gays

Telephone Operator

This needs to be a gay anthem this year. It's not as explicitly gay as Homosapien (the telephone operator could be a lady) but the only thing this song makes me think of is a sweaty closet full of men. From the 1983 album XL-1.

Pete Shelley - Telephone Operator