This month’s F News theme is “Responsibility.” Should we as artists be up in arms and brushes attempting to alter the social suffocation that is modern American politics? As a lazy alternative for young consumerists everywhere, I offer you six satisfying soundtracks to accompany what we do best: being excessively hedonistic, apathetic and indifferent, as opposed to all that hard work it takes to make a positive difference in your country’s crumbling infrastructure. Now let’s party like Bacchus is your roommate! `Till next, hit the decks…
Quasimoto — The Unseen (Stone’s Throw)
The Unseen has been out for five years now, and as of a couple of months ago it was still one of Egon’s (Stone’s Throw CEO) favorite records. Mine too. A shroomed-up, pitch-shifted Madlib raps over sublime beats; the Fantastic Planet—sampling “Come On Feet” and the transcendental “Jazz Cats” are just two of the diamonds in this field of precious stone(d)s. It’s not a classic, it’s timeless. The tracks are also available in instrumental form. There exists a definite possibility that you may be creatively inspired by this album…
The Consumers — All Our Friends Are Dead (In The Red)
Volatile, forever underground, shockingly nihilistic (and yet intelligent?), The Consumers are punk’s archetype. This heat blister of an LP, recorded on one Arizona evening in 1977, remained unreleased until 1994 when it began burning up listeners’ ears with the same energy that got them banned from almost every club in AZ and California back in the day. Raw, violent, awe-inspiring with its calculated brutality, All Our Friends Are Dead is the definitive soundtrack to not giving a fuck.
Carl Crack — Black Ark (Digital Hardcore Ltd. Ed)
A messy pastiche of druggy broken-beat hip-hop, headphone accidents, VHS movie samples and cut up synth blips. Black Ark is like listening to aural codeine. great music to lose your mind to. Carl (formerly 1/3 of the not-so-infamous Atari Teenage Riot) recently died of a multiple drug overdose in Berlin.
DJ Boogie — Born Freaky (website)
First, purchase copious amounts of hard liquor (and other delights…) and tasty mixers. Second, find girls anywhere who will drink and dance with you back at the crib. Third, go home, take their coats, mix up a stiff round of drink, and turn this mixtape on with your subwoofer to the floor, bass +10. Born Freaky is ghetto house music stripped down to the sweat and thongs—one-note melodies, lascivious samples and most of all that filthy bass, rump shakin’ freaky naked bass for that ass. Note: Any of Boogie’s mixtapes can turn an ordinary party evening into a shocking funk orgy.
Squarepusher — Feed Me Weird Things (Rephlex)
A tough choice between this one and Big Loada from sound psycho Tom Jenkinson, but FMWT is the more chaotic, experimental of the two. Before the later onslaught of digital processors and laptop sequencing, Squarepusher’s 1995 sound is crippling abuse of drum machines, analog bassline fury and funky noise collages. “Smedley’s Medley” and “Theme from Ernest Borgnine,” “North Circular,” “The Swifty,” beautiful insanity.
Les Rallizes Denudes — Heavier than A Death In The Family (Ain’t Group Sounds)
Five hellish, tube amped rock tracks from a super-obscure Japanese group notorious for heirloom CD prices and terrible sound quality. Vocalist/ lead guitarist Mizutani Takashi mumbles and dodges over simplistic bass grooves, all the while sculpting edifices of howling distortion with his axe. This album is intensely raw—think of a Japanese Pixies, high on morphine and coke trying to cover Motown classics. Read Julian Cope’s review at http://www.headheritage.co.uk/ for a comprehensive history of LRD.
Yabby You — Jesus Dread 1972-77 (Blood and Fire)
Ridiculously funky and bass-heavy roots reggae, ripped from the original master tapes and mashed into 47 tracks over 2 CDs. A whole gaggle of guest artists toast over some of the best riddims ever to blast out of Kingston—includes the R&B vocals of Wayne Wonder, the nutcase scatter-rap of Dillinger, and of course King Tubby’s dub treatments. I’ve lost three sets of this over the years due to greedy friends, so backup and theft protection is a must.
