090106

NEW ADDRESS: fat planet has moved to fatplanet.com.au/blog. all updates from 9th january will be at that address. see you on the other side!

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080106 18:50

first up, thanks to dj rupture and timeblind for featuring the new fat planet comp on their respective blogs. as they say in australia, 'love your work' (a rough aussie 'big up' apparently).

alright, let's talk baltimore. rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, here's what wikipedia saydabout 'baltimore club':

"Baltimore Club, also called Baltimore Breaks, Baltimore house, and Dew Doo Beat, is a genre of House and Dance music. A blend of Hip-Hop and Electronica, it was created in Baltimore, Maryland in the early 1990s by Scottie B., Frankski, Miss Tony and DJ Spen and has since been performed by artists such as Rod Lee and D.J.Technics.

"Baltimore Club is exemplified by its 8/4 beat structure and tempos at or near 130 beats per minute. It combines repetetive looped vocal snippets similar to ghetto house with humorous vocal samples ... Much like the rave-era sub-genre of Techno music known as Breakbeat Hardcore, Baltimore Club sounds as if the music was purposefully produced in a hurried manner as the each song is made with a limited pallette of sounds and is based on a similar templates. Some say Baltimore Breaks grew out of Miami Bass, largely due to Frankski working with Luke Skyywalker Records in the early 1990s, remixing songs such as Disco Rick's Wiggle Wiggle in 1992. ... Despite its roots nearer to Miami Bass, the sound of the music itself more closely resembles Ghetto House.

"Baltimore Club has long been popular in Baltimore, largely in African-American venues where DJs spin exclusively Baltimore Club, but has recently spread beyond the city's borders to Philadelphia and New York City and inspired offshoots in New Jersey (D.J.Tamiel) and Alabama (Bamabounce). This expansion is due largely to the success and influence of the DJ duo Hollertronix, who present Baltimore Club in conjunction with hip-hop, rock, and other dance music."

so there you go - if you disagree with any of the above, i recommend editing the article (such is the joy of wikipedia). as it says, things have started to move recently in the baltimore club scene. there is, as one of the main protagonists spank rock describes it, "a second generation" of baltimore club producers coming through. with many of his recent mixes, diplo is proving to be a key figure, alongside those working under the collective title of 'baltimore bass connection' - the aforementioned spankrock, chipset, c.rockswell, xxx-change and more. i could add low-budget and dj ayres in there too, both of whom have recently dropped b-more productions. i've also been getting into 19-y-o curtis vodka's mixes as found on the hollertronix forum (one of the main homes for discussion / file sharing of b-more, baile funk and other such great music).

after releasing his 'viola' mix cd and his 'put the pussy on me' 12" double set on money studies, spankrock was recently signed to big dada. his debut release backyard betty' is an incredible calling card for this scene - dark, deep, sparse, smart and more bass than your ass can handle. you can check it out on spankrock's myspace page. another great tune that i've been dropping this season is diplo's remix of ray charles' 'i got a woman' - destined to be a party favourite for a long time to come. and - lucky you - it also kicks off our mp3 treats for this week:

RAY CHARLES i got a woman (diplo remix) mp3

3RD BASS shut your mouth (diplo remix) mp3

SPANK ROCK put that pussy on me mp3

SPANK ROCK rick rubin (snippet) mp3

SPANK ROCK what it look like (snippet) mp3

LOW-BUDGET call it murder (rmx of damian marley's 'welcome to jamrock') mp3

DJ AYRES broke ass home (baltimore club) mp3

RADIO SHOW PLAYLIST 080106

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301205 13:47

FAT PLANET : YEAR TWO >
FREE CD COMPILATION TO DOWNLOAD

from baile funk to euro crunk, from japanese post punk to bollywood breakcore - celebrating all that was great about music in 2005, FAT PLANET YEAR TWO pulls together some of the highlights from the blog over the twelve months and distills them into a CD-length compilation. you can also download jewel case pdf artwork and check out the liner notes for what was written about these artists on the blog. enjoy!

TRACKLISTING >

MC VANESSINHA danca de peteca [BRAZIL]
STACS OF STAMINA feat TTC donne moi un poisson [SWEDEN]
ENDUSER not so distant drums [U.S.]
NETTLE myanmar (timeblind remix) [SPAIN]
DJ BC vs M.I.A. quem vai encontrar a festa da maconha? [U.S. / SRI LANKA]
SLAM REVOLUTION wax degg [SENEGAL]
VISIONARY UNDERGROUND 100 vibes [ENGLAND]
SHUKAR COLLECTIVE blooz gypsy [ROMANIA]
KONONO NO.1 ditshe tshiekutala [CONGO]
MUGISON sad as a truck [ICELAND]
WE ACEDIASTS ibasho [JAPAN]
BALUN the glass bicycle [PUERTO RICO]
THE TINY closer [SWEDEN]
HUUN HUR TU kongurei [TUVA]

DOWNLOAD TRACKS & ARTWORK

oh yeah, and happy new year :-)

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201205 07:12

sean over at a reminder recently asked me to submit a list for his compilation of 'top australian bands'. the results of the poll (by a small number of us aussie bloggers) are in, however rather than let my own thoughts be subsumed into the void, here's my own top 20 - the fat planet top aussie 20. get surfing to check the tunes.

1. THE PRESETS (right) thepresets.com
2. DSICO lukecollison.com/dsico
3. CUT COPY cutcopy.net
4. MIDNIGHT JUGGERNAUTS midnightjuggernauts.com
5. INGA LILJESTROM ingaliljestrom.com
6. UNDERLAPPER feralmedia.com.au
7. PRINCESS ONE POINT FIVE princessonepointfive.com
8. MOUNTAINS IN THE SKY .mountainsinthesky.com
9. EXPATRIATE xpatriate.net
10. THE GRATES thegrates.com
11. THE EMERGENCY the-emergency.net
12. NEW BUFFALO newbuffalo.net
13. HERMITUDE hermitude.com
14. CLUE TO KALO cluetokalo.com
15. DECODER RING decoderring.com.au
16. WOLF & CUB remotecontrolrecords.com.au
17. GOTYE gotye.com
18. GAUCHE gauchemusic.com
19. MIELI feralmedia.com.au
20. TEENAGERS IN TOKYO myspace.com

if you want to hear this & more all day, every day - there's only one place to go.

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191205 07:43

HAPPY FREAKIN HOLIDAYS xx

M.I.A. bucky done gun (cracker farmboy's eye of the tamil mix) mp3

the cracker's first bastard pop mp3 - more due soon

RADIO SHOW PLAYLIST FOR 181205.

fat planet radio show returns on january 8th.
fat planet 'year two' compilation, ready for download soon.

thanks for playing in 05 x

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111205 20:04

JAHCOOZI [GERMANY]
fish mp3
changing time movie
another late contender for one of the most original releases of the year, also this week's featured album on the fat planet radio show. jahcoozi first cropped up in my record bag on an old compilation from the wire magazine back in 2003, with the track 'fish' (mp3 above). on repeated hearings, the pared-down glitched elctronica made me think this was another member of the ever-growing and ever-fascinating berlin-based female electronic artist set. jahcoozi's album proves just how wrong i was. great through this track is, the rest of the album is far more bounce-driven affair - from twostep to ragga to crunk to dancehall to deep electro-tech, jahcoozi take on some of the year's emerging styles and appropriate them for their own ends - an album of dark polemics that just so happens to make your ass shiver at the same time. jahcoozi are vocalist sasha perera, robot kock on beats and oren gerlitz on bass. the fact that sasha perera has roots in sri lanka has opened the comparative can of worms marked m.i.a., which cuts both ways - a useful way into the band for fans of m.i.a. hungry for more in the same vein, but with jahcoozi's roots so deep in electronica, it's off the mark in terms of focus and direction. for more on jahcoozi, check out their label page at kitty-yo.

MONKEYTRIBE [SCOTLAND]
get with the program mp3
pull the trigger once mp3
on a not too dissimilar tip to the above, some long-overdue props to monkeytribe and mc soom t. if the latter name seems familiar, she cropped up as co-conspirator on the berlin-based bus album 'middle of the road' (released on ~scape), and also in 2003 on t. raumschmiere's album 'radio blackout' album with the track 'a million brothers'. since then she's been working with the likes of the bug, the orb and warp's dj maxximus, but her core project remains the glasgow-based collective, monkeytribe. originally born from a love of techno and house, years later monkeytribe's latest releases have taken on a tough ragga-dub-r'n'b-electro style, the perfect foil for soom t's flow. with an asian dub foundation remix in the bag for future release, and a new e.p. 'dark side of the baboon' due soon, here's hoping that monkeytribe strike out wider and ensure that my home town is known for more than franz ferdinand and deep-fried pizzas. more info at monkeytribe.net.

BECK [U.S.]
black tambourine (south rakkas crew remix) mp3
completing the dancehall-ish flavour of this post is this little nugget, courtesy of the fader. when reviewing this track, stylus magazine quipped "a remix of this caliber begs the question: does beck deserve it?". of course there have always been, and will always be, those of us who frown on major artists appropriating new talent to rejuvenate their career or extend their tentacles into new fan bases. yet this case in point differs, as the remix can't be found on beck's remix album, 'guerolito' - it's seemingly 'mp3 only'. why beck chose not to include this track, remixed by the canadian / jamacian trio south rakkas crew, remains a mystery; as it is head and shoulders above some of the other mixes on there. south rakkas crew are well respected for their recent rhythms, 'red alert' and 'bionic ras', and with this bump up into the pop canon, we can expect to see the crew popping up all over the joint for remix duties in the near future.

RADIO SHOW PLAYLIST 111205

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271105 17:59

it was a 'scandanavian special' on this week's FAT PLANET radio show (probably the first of many geo-specific specials), so it seems only fitting to follow suit in the blog this week with a trio of artists from sweden. [check out the playlist for the show here]. the show also featured an interview with karin from the knife (who feature heavily - by default - in the following post...) which i hope to podcasting for y'all in the near future. in the meantime, view the knife's stunning collection of video work at radidrecords.com.

STACS OF STAMINA [SWEDEN]
donne moi un poisson (ft. ttc) mp3
stay beautiful (feat one-two) mp3
let me just clear one thing up right now - stacs of stamina's new album 'tivoli' is one of the best albums of 2005. easy. and with it comes a hilarious new genre classification - 'euro-crunk'. crunk was born from southern usa, so it seems truly fucked up to find that seemingly unique sensibility transplanted to northern europe... yet here it is - proving once more that music knows no borders. it also proves just how dramatic crunk can be when we take some of the less agile MCs out of the equation. in 'tivoli', we hear not only from stacs themselves (johan, marcus and gesan), but also from mike ladd, the never-less-than-inspiring french crew ttc (mp3 above) and grime MC ears. after a softer start, the album kicks into high gear halfway through and propels this release into the 'must-own' category - at once both deliciously deft and deleriously blunt, 'tivoli' sets an impossible standard against which future challengers will be judged. there's some props for the release over at gabba.cc and music for robots, however 'tivoli' has received little in the way of press attention - which is a glaring ommission on the part of the 'official' media. that aside, do the decent thing and do what i was compelled to do; round up your hard-earned pennies and buy this album. [buy at boomkat / forced exposure]. for an additional 'stacs' fix, check out this earlier (and far less crunk-ified) mp3 'lemon pepper' from the 2002 compilation 'offbeats vol.1'. also, johan from stacs teams up with french artist dj tron to form the remix / production duo radioclit. check out an mp3 entitled damn here.

JENNY WILSON [SWEDEN]
a brief story mp3
jenny wilson first popped into my consciousness as guest vocalist on one of the most catchy and goddam-hummable pop releases of the year - 'you take my breath away' by the knife. it's by no means pop by numbers - at times it seems out of kilter (even out of key) and the introduction of the steel drum into the electro pop genre remains one of the msot baffling audio marriages to date. in the background to that release, jenny wilson released her debut album - the first signing to the knife's radid records. 'love and youth' furthers the cracked pop sound and vision of the knife, but strips away that duo's flouro flavours and offers instead a more simple, personal approach. originally a vocalist for swedish indie band first floor power, 'love and youth' is by means instantly digestible, and therein lies its power. the above mp3 is the b-side to jenny's debut single 'summertime - the roughest time'. the subsequent single 'let my shoes lead me forward' features mxs from joachim and the knife. more at jennywilson.net

JOSE GONZALES [SWEDEN]
crosses mp3
stay in the shade mp3
this week at the radio station, we had a 'moment'. that rare glitch in time where an artist plays a track live in the studio and the whole place stops, transifxed and mesmerised. this week jose gonzales - in australia for a short tour - brought us all to our knees with his beautiful accoustic rendition of the knife's 'heartbeats'. of argentinian descent, the swedish singer songwriter has been raking in the cash for himself and the knife by allowing sony to use the track in their tvc for a new hi-def tv screen - you know the one, where 250,000 coloured balls are released into the streets. whether jose will forever be remembered for this one moment remains to be seen, but i sincerely hope not - even a cursory listen to his australian tour e.p. proved to me that there's a great deal more to offer than simply being a karaoke troubador (even if his version of kylie's 'put your hand on your heart' is outstanding). perhaps his latest project, as part of the swedish band junip, will break him into new territories. you can find mp3s and a video clip at junip.net

finally - on an unrelated tip, i recommend a new blog from fellow fbi collaborator, lyndon pike, entitled 'chewy chewy'. recent posts feature downloads from australia's most excellent clue to kalo, plus maximillian hecker, maurice fulton and the free design.



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161105 08:08

ALBERT KUVEZIN and YAT-KHA [TUVA]
love will tear us apart mp3
orgasmatron mp3
over recent months, i seem to have drifted into playing at least one cover version each week on the radio show - from germany's beige gt rendering dj rolando's 'jaguar' as a symphony for guitar, to belgium's ranco saint de baker covering qotsa's 'no one knows' whilst seemingly gurgling a glass of water. the reason why i find international cover versions appealing is that it creates a bridge between the familiar (i.e. the song we already know) and the unfamiliar (a new artist from somewhere other than the anglo-american axis). it makes the transition into the unknown that little bit easier, and naturally it can be a great thrill to hear a well-known track reflected back at you from cultures other than your own. it's gone through a double-translation - from english to the native language and back again. check out japan's towa tei & buffalo daughter's recent 'my sharona' cover (originally by the knack) where, of course, 'sharona' becomes 'shalona'. comedy pronunciations aside, nowhere is this cultural ping-pong better exemplified that with albert kuvezin and yat-kha, hailing from the tuva republic in southern siberia. their latest collection 're-covers' takes us through a familiar songbook, performed in the 'throat singing' vocal style that tuva is renowned for - covers of joy division, kraftwerk, motorhead, hank williams, led zepplin and captain beefheart performed as we've literally never heard them before. on his take on 'love will tear us apart', albert says: "this band wasn't well known in russia but some band made big name and good career during USSR time copying and imitating the likes of joy division. i like the mood and guess our manager jim likes them very much." many of these songs are particularly precious to albert and the band - for a long time, rock'n'roll was essentially outlawed under the former soviet regime, it could be neither performed nor listened to. 're-covers' therefore is albert's life journey - the songs that he grew up with, but with was rarely allowed to sing. for more info on this self-proclaimed 'throat singing punk band', head to yat-kha.com.

JACKSON AND HIS COMPUTER BAND [FRANCE]
utopia mp3
when someone describes you as 'the future of electronic music', you're in trouble. jackson naturally doesn't pull off that particular coup (who could?), but the album is a treat for anyone who likes dance music for the mind. at times reminiscent of the ideology that daft punk once attempted to convey, with the album 'smash' jackson calls to the table every contemporary production trick at his disposal, and appropriates them all for himself. an unholy mix of punk, funk, glitch, techno, electronica, even r'n'b, jackson's 'computer band' might be in danger of seemingly like a flashy parlour trick were it not for the fact that it is so much fun - a hugely enjoyable romp from start to finish. more at warprecords.com

THIS WEEK'S RADIO SHOW: in recognition of this week's supporter drive on fbi, i had a trawl through the fat planet archives and dug out some of my personal favourites - the playlist is now online here. i'm out of town next week, back on the 27th for a scandanavian special - music from sweden, norway, finland, denmark and iceland, plus an exclusive interview with karin from the knife.



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011105 08:24

DSICO [AUSTRALIA]
morning city stirs (blastcorp's pop mix) mp3
staying in the home town for this one - sydney's luke collison, aka dsico. after forging a successful path as a bootlegger & mashup artist, luke wisely saw the writing was on the wall for that particular genre excursion and began releasing his own original material. the e.p. 'you fight like a girl' was a blend of electro, post punk, new wave etc and the killer touch of luke's own vocals. the new e.p. is called 'fool' and features five new tracks, plus twelve (count 'em) remixes from a fantastic assortment of predominently australian bands & producers: the emergency, bleepin j squawkins, ollo and blastcorp, as well as a turn from scottish dj & producer keith mcivor, aka twitch from optimo. an unmissable package - check out five preview mp3 at spasticated records, and then do the decent thing and buy it here. on a separate tangent, check out dsico's cover version of 'personal jesus' that crops on the freshly minted - and long, long time coming - 'depeche mode violated' project. similar to recent takes on the clash and the prodigy, 'dmv' presents a reworking of the original 'violator' album, sequenced identically, featuring new remixes and reversions (and cover art for yr old school jewel case). as a huge fan of the original (mode's best after 'black celebration'), i thought this was a fascinating journey; low on sacrilege, high on originality.

MELODIUM [FRANCE]
hellomusic (ochre remix) mp3
melodium's recent album 'la tête qui flotte' is a hugely impressive affair. recorded outdoors with an MD recorder, laurence girard took to the country with an assortment of acoustic instruments, then later edited and resequenced the parts in his home studio. the results are breath-taking - an acoustic folk-pop album, infused with sharp electronic programming, a hybrid often sought after by many in the 'folktronica' genre, but rarely acheived - and certainly not to this standard. his new e.p. ’hum hum & bla bla’ features five new tracks and three remixes from 'la tête qui flotte' from marsen jules, audioroom and ochre (above). this latter remix from the uk-based toytronics artist is an electronic gem, the lush strings throughout complimented by a deep leftfield rhythm, a flash of acoustic guitar and, somewhere in the middle, a dying keyboard heaves its last breath. download the e.p. for free at archive.org. more info on melodium at autres directions in music and further mp3 goodies from ochre at ochremusic.com.

VON SPAR [GERMANY]
bunsenwahrheiten mp3
a little bit of agit-rock post punk from out of germany. led by mahmoud von spar (from the oliver twist band), von spar crop up on the new compilation from trevor jackson's output label, 'channel four' with a great track called 'dog machine'. (the album also features colder, mu, circlesquare - a great patrick wolf remix of one of their tracks, dk7, kreeps and scotland's george demure amongst many others and comes hightly recommended). the above mp3 is conventionally a little more straightforward than 'dog machine', but serves as a good indicator of how germans marry their own unique contemporary rock sound with a movement born in early 80s. the trio are from cologne and their album 'the unrestrcited liberty of the private initiative' is available now on lado records.

THIS WEEK'S RADIO SHOW: the playlist for last week's show is online here. the feature album was the self-titled release from israeli duo balkan beat box, an inventive mix of traditional balkan, gypsy, north african and southern meditteranean music, all brought delightfully up to date with contemporary electronic production and dancefloor sensibilities. more info at balkanbeatbox.com and at jdub records. next week is fbi's twice-yearly supporter drive, wherein the station encourages listeners to become financial supporters, thus guaranteeing its longevity and independence. if you're a regular fat planet listener and not yet an fbi supporter, pls take the time next week to sign up. it only costs $3 (conc) or $6 a month - great value for a month of great music. plus you could win a huge mountain of prizes. more info at fbi.org.au.

DJ SET: i played at the season finale of uber lingua at candy's apartment on sunday. thanks to brendan, shereen and mashy p for a great night. the uber lingua circus will be rolling back into town soon, keep an eye on uberlingua.com. here's sunday's set, shifting from arabic to baile funk to bounce to breakcore to whatever:

2/5 BZ petrol four
BADAWI final warning
NETTLE gutted (mehmet irdel rmx)
MUTAMASSIK raqs sharqi scratch
MUSLIMGUAZE gold sutra
FOUR TET sun drums and gamelan
MAI & WASHEED laish liash ya jara
KARMINSKY EXPERIENCE INC belly disco
SULTANA cerkez kizi
M.I.A. vs KOPA hombre (hollertronix bootleg)
DJ FLACK kanye gp bouce
DIPLO way more (jorghino's carioca funk remix)
MC VANESSINHA dance de peteca
TATI mirante
ENDUSER not so distant drums
MODESELEKTOR feat TTC dancing box
LIQUID LIQUID cavern
DJ C crazy baldheads (mashit mix)
DJ RUPTURE feat SISTER NANCY a little more oil



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251005 08:10

BOSTON BOUNCE: When we think of bounce, do we think of the New Orleans variety of the 80s & 90s? Perhaps Miami Bass? Or Southern Bounce / Dirty South? (bring out 2 Live Crew if you please...), which begat Crunk etc. Or update it to 2005 and suddenly we're in the north, in Boston to be precise, for 'Boston Bounce', the creation of a group of local Ds & J producers, based around DJ C (owner of the Mashit label) and DJ Flack. Ths time around though, bounce seems less about 'pussy' infused lyrics and more about the quality of the music underneath; unsuprising as C and Flack are generally instrumentalists at heart. You might be familiar with C already (Mashit was John Peel's 'Label Of The Month' shortly before his untimely death): aka Jake Trussell, he's a purveyor of top-quality 'junglist ragga', perhaps best personified by his outstanding reworking of Michael Jackson's 'Billy Jean'.

In describing the sound of Boston Bounce, Trussel was quoted in a recent Boston Phoenix article as saying: "My version of Boston bounce is sort of a combination of Baltimore club, German shuffle techno, and one drop reggae. It’s around 135 bpm, has a kick-drum pattern that’s half four-on-the-floor and half broken, has a shuffle or swing hi-hat feel (we also call it Boston swing sometimes), usually has some breakbeats in there, and has a snare or rim shot on the three. DJ Flack’s stuff is around the same tempo but has a different feel. His rule is to throw in a waltz feel somewhere."

Indeed - Trussel quotes Flack's formula in their communal blog, already the spiritual home of Boston Bounce - Riddim Method: "The way I see the whole Boston Bounce (or whatever you want to call it) thing is a series of self imposed guidelines that are strictly for fun… I choose to see it as a list of 5 or more things and if it has 3 of them (and it sounds good) then tada… you got your self some Boston Bounce... (1). It has to be around 135bpm ... (2) It has to have a bass line… (3) It has to have either a swing to it, a triplet feel, [a shuffle], or a straight up waltz in there somewhere ... (4) It has to have break beats… it’s always cool to flip em, chop em and rearrange em…(5) It has to have some element that‘s just plain different… a strange sound, an oddball sample or an influence of something outside of the world of traditional dance music. But really like so many art movements it’s born of a small group of friends who inspire each other, and who are inspired by other genres that are new and exciting and worth putting our own homegrown spin on."

The best starting point for checking out this scene is DJ C's new Boston mix, a 38-minute, 10 track primer that features tracks from DJ C himself, plus Flack, Wayne & Wax, DuoTone, Local Fields and one of the first 'official' releases, C's Boston Bounce version of M.I.A.'s 'URAQT', released earlier this month on XL Recordings. Also below check out links to Flack's mashup of the Ray Charles track (made famous by Kanye West's 'Gold Digger') with a Ghislain Poirer production; a new release from Mashit - C's version of Debaser's 'Crazy Baldheads'; an early Wayne & Wax dub, originally from his 'Boston Jerk' album; a bounce mix of Juelz Santana, from those mighty fine people at Certified Bananas; and finally DuoTone - Flack & C's combined project where the sexual references of Bounce's southern compadres fall back into place.

DJ C boston (38-minute boston bounce megamix) mp3

DJ FLACK kanye GP bounce mp3

DJ C crazy baldheads (mashit version) mp3

WAYNE & WAX a it dat (instrumental) mp3

JUELZ SANTANA there it go (p.nice boston bounce remix) mp3

DUOTONE serve that pussy (boston bounce bix) mp3

Keep an eye on Riddim Method for more news & mp3s. For more on a Boston tip, see also Wayne & Wax's perverse 17-minute 'Boston Mashacre' mixing The Cars, Tracy Chapman, Aerosmith and J Geils Band to name but a few.

On a completely different musical tangent, if you're a sydneysider, tune into FBi tonight (Tues 25th) at 9pm for 'Rubber Stamp', Nick Boyakovsky's rough guide to music history. I'm guesting on the show, talking about the rise of man-machines, Kraftwerk and playing some classics from the back catalogue.

Also this week, I'll be DJing at the 'season finale' of Uber Lingua at Candys Apartment, Kings X in Sydney this Sunday (30th). It's the last one for the time being, but the Uber crew intend to regenerate and return in the near future. I'll possibly be playing some of the above, but I might also indulge in some of the choons at the back of the virtual crate.





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171005 07:58

THIS WEEK'S SHOW: yesterday's playlist is now online. the feature album this week came fromthe beautiful voice of FRANCOIZ BREUT and her album 'une saison volee' ('a stolen season'). skewing french pop into contemporary territories, this third album once again features the assistance of joey burns from calexico amongst others. 'une saison volee' is released on bella union, the label founded by the cocteau twins in 1997, the home to dirty three, the dears, explosions in the sky amongst others. [more info] to download mp3s from francoiz, check out this post from the excellent blog, mystery and misery.

FAT PLANET NETLABEL: it's time to put my money where my mouth is. later this year, i'm launching the fat planet netlabel, promoting a catalogue of new international music via mp3 distribution. if you are a musician or a producer and would like to see your work promoted in this way, then i'm keen to hear from you. the focus is on music from outside of the 'western rock tradition', i.e. i'm not going to be promoting indie bands from NYC, i'm more likely to give space to artists who are either not based in, or whose influences extend beyond the borders of, the uk or u.s.a.. to get the ball rolling, send a link to your music hosted online (preferrably mp3) - please don't email files, links only - and a biog to label@fatplanet.com.au. we'll check it out, and if we think it's suitable, we'll be in touch. if you're unsure whether your music fits the bill, simply scroll down this page, or check out the blog archive and listen to the tunes that are posted here on a weekly basis.

ZEROGAUDIO NETLABEL: and to give you an indication of what the above is all about, today i'm launching a subsidiary mp3 netlabel zeroGaudio dedicated to my own humble audio offerings, featuring eight releases of work recorded between 1992 and 2004. the site is now live at zerogaudio.net and features 78 mp3s, encoded at 160 kbps, with music from my various aliases - ESOFERRIC, CRACKER FARMBOY, CRUX, KOLLAPS, THE NATASHAS and MAMMALIAN, as well as collaborations in the form of GODLOCO, CO-EX and KAIGAN. i never considered my own music to be much more than sketches and doodles, but now you can judge for yourself. go easy on me now...

finally, yesterday marked the 100th 'fat planet' show - thanks to everyone who has helped out over the last two years, especially to all the artists who contributed cds and mp3s. the show continues every sunday on fbi 94.5 at 3pm, and the good news is that we'll be streaming before the year is out. so it goes.



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121005 08:45

ARTURO EN EL BARCO [PUERTO RICO]
raymond dotson mp3
you may recall an earlier post on fat planet re: puerto rican trio balun, responsible for some beautiful downbeat compositions, mixing the organic and the electronic in a simple, yet stylistically emotive way. as a tangent to that project, balun member angélica negrón gives us arturo en el barco, stepping away from regular vocal duties and concentrating more on her role as a composer. at the age of 24, she's currently working her way through a degree in composition at the conservatory of music of puerto rico (harp, cello, accordian and violin are her forte). if arturo en el barco is the equivalent to her dissertation, then she'll start her post-college life with an incredible body of music to her credit. i adore the above track for the audacious opening use of a classic christian hymn, that morphs into a hypnotic piano repitition married with dust & scratches and a faint trace of broken beat - all combined, an original and stunning piece of music. her debut album is entitled 'music for students and their friends' and is described as "sound explorations inside and outside the piano". download more tracks at the carte postal site and for more information on angelica, go to arturoenelbarco.tk.

COCOROSIE [U.S.]
noah's ark mp3
cocorosie appeared on fat planet's first compilation cd back in 2004, and it's therefore with some degree of anticipation that i cracked open the case on their second album 'noah's ark'. a great deal has been written about cocorosie since the release of their debut 'la maison de mon reve', a set recorded on lo-fi recording equipment in an apartment in paris. much like the above arturo en el barco mp3, the album had a misty, child-like quality; it could well have been recorded in a castle ballroom somewhere inside a nursery rhyme. for 'noah's ark', sisters bianca and sierra casady have retained their trademark style, yet they've wisely opted to record in the studio this time around. gone is the lo-fi ambience, yet what now shines through is their inspired songwriting and love of leftfield production. one of the album highlights is the guest appearance of antony (he of the johnsons) for the track 'beautiful boyz' (a song that will remain in your heads for many days), and other guest appearances include a turn from devendra banhart. more info at touchandgorecords.com

SOME WATER AND SUN [JAPAN/U.S.]
all my friends have to go mp3 at download.com
the feature album on this week's radio show was 'all my friends have to go' from some water and sun, a collaboration between hefty label boss, john hughes (aka slicker) and japan's shin tasaki (spanova). described as "art bionic lover's rock, part R&B braided microhouse, part quiet storm soul classicism", the album drags the now-aging guitar / electronica relationship into the 22nd century, drawing on a far wider pool of styles and genres for a daring and original collection.

THIS WEEK'S RADIO SHOW: this week's playlist is online here.



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051005 07:51

it's been a while, for sure. all you need to know is that i didn't desert you, i still love you. xx

CARDOPUSHER [VENEZUELA]
bring da fire / caffeine rich kola nut zip
in which fat planet restarts with a fiery vengeance. here's where ragga and breakcore meet, and who'd have thought it would come from somewhere in venezuela? a perfect soundtrack for mad summer days, giving the jolt of energy required to get off your ass and enjoy the sunshine (okay, so we're heading into summer in australia and you guys might be heading into monsoon season - so it goes). luis ricardo garbán is cardopusher, 24-years old and hailing from caracas. this release cropped up on the ren-ga site, which also features similar releases from artists from france, netherlands, san francisco, serbia and elsewhere. cardopusher has also contributed to a recent remix cd from fellow breakcore specialist jason forrest (the artist formerly known as donna summer), with his 'vendettacore mix' of the track 'let's break'. you can find that particular treat here. if that wasn't enough, get a 21 min mix from cardopusher on the sur america electronica site, along with mixes from many other central & south american producers. also, expect a 12" release soon on peace off, entitled "hippie killers don't mind jah conversations".

MINDMAP [SLOVAKIA]
eman mp3
some slovakian electronica to add some shine to the morning, from an artist i discovered through the recent compilation from laurent garnier's label f-communications, entitled 'megasoft office 2005' (stream that and other tracks from the comp here). mindmap are a four piece who have appeared on various slovak electronica compilations prior to the recent release of their debut album 'plochy', released on the italian label afe records. of the four mp3s available on their site, i selected the above track mainly for the vocal, although i also recommend checking out what happens when their soft ambient textures meet the subtle remix skills of their fellow countrymen eardrumkrew on retrospective [ear drum kru mapmind remix].

THIS WEEK'S RADIO SHOW: playlist here. the feature album was from egyptian artist mutamassik, her debut solo album on soundink entitled 'masri mokassar: definitive works'. mutamassik describes her work as "sa'aidi hardcore" - mixing traditional egyptian music with broken beats, ragga, d'n'b, breakcore etc. it's a perfect fusion that destroys all twee misconceptions of 'world music' and serves as a raw reminder of how narrow our western musical ideologies truly are. more info from mutamassik's rough americana site.



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040905

VACATION TIME: finally - it feels like forever since i've had a vacation, and today's the day. fat planet will be remaining exactly as you see it for the next month while i get out of sydney and head off to europe for three weeks. next update will be scheduled for early october. thanks for all your support over the last year - i'll be back, refreshed, with new tunes soon. in the meantime, a parting gift:

LACKLUSTER [FINLAND]
subvert (feat. jah) mp3
a huge thanks to esa ruoho, otherwise known as lackluster, for giving fat planet an mp3 taster of his new release, 'slice'. esa's being making electronica under the name lackluster since 1997 (via releases on defocus, merck, rikos, monotonik and more), mixing the kind of lush melodies that characterise some of the great IDM pioneers, and splicing that with some unorthodox and idiosyncratic beat production - a fine marriage, at once both familiar and altogether new. if there's one thing that has characterised lackluster's output it's the staggering volume of work that he's distributed freely around the net - you can fill hours, if not days, of your precious listening time tuning into mp3s found on monotonik, archive.org and lackluster's own site at lacklustre.org. it's little surprise then that this new release is thus far only available to buy online through lackluster's web shop. the above track, 'subvert', closes the 13-track album with a looping assortment of audio debris, with a vocal from jah strewn, distorted, across the landscape - an instant indicator of lackluster's complexity and variety and a simple enough reason to click here and get the album.

SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION: imminent holiday-time seems like an apt moment to plug my life outside of fat planet. my wife and i run a small web design business called zero-g and we've been lucky enough to land some great clients over the last few years - including the delays, depeche mode, gronland records (home to neu, psapp, merz, pet, lunz and more). recent work includes building our second site for goldfrapp, after winning the mtv europe web award for the last site we built for the band back in 2003. the new site, to co-incide with the release of their third album 'supernature', is now live and if you like what you see there - and we hope you do - then consider voting for it in the 2005 digital music awards. to vote for goldfrapp.co.uk, click here. thanxxx.

so it goes.

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