Anteater's Daily Tune Roulette

Anteater · 06-10-2020, 06:44 PM

Jan Hammer Group - Don't You Know (1977) [R&B / Prog]

Before making millions off the Miami Vice OST and becoming one of the big names in film music, Jan Hammer was better known as the keyboardist of jazz-fusion gods Mahavishnu Orchestra and a pioneer in synth technology throughout the 70's. Near the end of the decade, he began to shift from intergalactic suites to honing in on popcraft that straddled the line of soft rock, prog and krautrock.

'Don't You Know' is one of those gems from this period of his career that you've probably heard sampled in hip-hop a billion times, but as a standalone tune it radiates so much cool that it should have been in GTA: Vice City. It's an oscillating low-key slice of perfection that could have only come from that brief moment in time before the mullets took over.

Anteater · 06-11-2020, 07:06 PM

Chroma Key - Another Permanent Address (2000) [Trip-Hop / Alt. Rock]

Never a guy to get stuck in one style too long, Kevin Moore is a musician who got his start as the founding keyboardist and lyricist for Dream Theater in the late 80's. After three albums however, he cut loose and went headfirst into the realms of experimental electronic music, ambient and trip-hop, all influences that came to a major head on 2000's You Go Now.

'Another Permanent Address' rolls off the ear quite nicely - like Gorillaz or maybe The Verve diving headfirst into a Massive Attack side alley. Moore has a knack for the chill and meticulously spacey. Call it another lost classic for the "Good" pile.

Anteater · 06-12-2020, 08:22 PM

John Surman - The Wizard's Song (1988) [Avant-garde Jazz]

Spotify - The Wizard's Song

One of my favorite players of all time and a helluva great composer and sideman alike, John Surman has been exploring the edge of avant-garde and free jazz for decades in his own peculiar way. But unlike a lot of his contemporaries, he was never afraid to also draw from contemporary sounds and technology throughout the past four decades.

In the late 80's, that means creepy John Carpenter-styled synth arpeggios to counterpoint his uncanny approach to the saxophone and free jazz expression. 1988's outing Private City remains my favorite record from this particular era, and 'The Wizard's Song' is a noir-inflected closer that showcases just how great he is even when completely restrained in a more modal mood.

Anteater · 06-13-2020, 12:46 PM

Mitch Murder - Inner City Chronicles (2011) [Synthwave / Instrumental]

Effervescent synths in motion with some timely dialogue. Has a classic mid 80's Electro feel with a bit of melancholic magic to carry the concept home. The melody is pretty fantastic too, like the theme to a VG that never left the confines of imagination.

grindy · 06-13-2020, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anteater

John Surman - The Wizard's Song (1988) [Avant-garde Jazz]

Spotify - The Wizard's Song

One of my favorite players of all time and a helluva great composer and sideman alike, John Surman has been exploring the edge of avant-garde and free jazz for decades in his own peculiar way. But unlike a lot of his contemporaries, he was never afraid to also draw from contemporary sounds and technology throughout the past four decades.

In the late 80's, that means creepy John Carpenter-styled synth arpeggios to counterpoint his uncanny approach to the saxophone and free jazz expression. 1988's outing Private City remains my favorite record from this particular era, and 'The Wizard's Song' is a noir-inflected closer that showcases just how great he is even when completely restrained in a more modal mood.

That's a cool album.
I was aware of Surman's existence but haven't consciously listened to anything by him in many years. Some of the stuff I checked out is gorgeous. Thanks for the reminder.

Anteater · 06-14-2020, 12:58 PM

^ Yeah, he's got a long trail - you'll find plenty to like. My favorite album of his is 1969's How Many Clouds Can You See?

Anyway-

Ruins - Brixon Varromiks (1995) [Zeuhl]

Blistering and lovably frenzied bass / percussion oriented zeuhlish punk with a touch of doom & gloom. I love pretty much everything Tatsuya Yoshida has ever done, but Ruins was especially awesome from the late 80's through this particular record. A raw and gloriously combative 9+ minutes.

Anteater · 06-15-2020, 07:22 PM

Miles Davis - He Loved Him Madly (1974) [Jazz / Ambient]

A 30+ minute ambient jazz sendup to the late and great Duke Ellington, and supposedly the song that inspired Brian Eno's whole career. Davis was never one for minimalism as a calling card, engaging in aspects of it only sporadically throughout his career (like on 1969's In A Silent Way). But even that rather easygoing record sounds like coked up speed metal compared to the gradually evolving moodiness present here. Ridiculously good.

Anteater · 06-16-2020, 08:31 PM

Seba & Lotek - Sonic Winds (1996) [Atmospheric Drum & Bass]

Mainstays over at U.K. jungle label Good Looking Records, Seba and Lotek's debut cut Sonic Winds is emblematic of the "Atmospheric" style of Drum & Bass - huge synth washes, deep beats and a general sense of being lost and in constant motion somewhere within the space/time continuum. The melody lopes in a state of rabid flux against the skittering groove that underscores every passing moment, yet it soothes.

Anteater · 06-17-2020, 09:57 PM

Caravan - Nine Feet Underground (1971) [Canterbury Scene]

Probably the best Fuzztone organ-heavy cut ever committed to record. 20+ minutes of whimsical, at times emotionally resonant progressive rock with a breezy, psychedelic tinge that shifts emotionally into something resigned yet moving over the course of it's run. I would put this on repeat as I wondered aimlessly during the summers I had at university to myself, walking through silent, unspoiled wilderness as the wind rippled through the nearby trees. Good times.

Anteater · 06-18-2020, 09:15 PM

Nightwing - Don't Want To Lose You (1982) [Proggy Hard Rock]

A fun blend between boogie-flecked hard rock and synth-oriented progressive rock. The way the wooshing keys and bassline bounce around one another could make even the most cynical among the rabble crack a smile. Nightwing weren't long lived, but they were pretty good.