SONG OF THE DAY: Todd Terje - Inspector Norse (2012)

"Inspector Norse" combines the best elements of deep house and Italo-disco (some call it "nu-disco"), and the sound succeeds at being both classic and relevant.  The Norwegian producer relies on relatively standard production, but what elevates this track (and any great deep house track) is simply the infectious melody; it's remarkable that someone hasn't already made this song.  Todd Terje has definitely gotten some mileage out of "Inspector Norse", releasing it as a single, on the "It's the Arps" EP, and on his his debut full-length, "It's Album Time".  Cosmically catchy and futuristically funky.

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Ike Yard - Ike Yard (1982)

Ike Yard often gets the "no wave" label, but the debut album from this New York minimal synth group is essentially an EBM record; these tones, rhythms and beats have more in common with D.A.F. than James Chance or Mars.  In some ways Ike Yard slither through the same channels as early Swans, accenting their syncopated martial beats with abrupt bursts of noisy violence, commanded by a chilling voice that oscillates between shameful tenderness and frightening sexual authority.  A scary and arousing portrait of male hubris.

SONG OF THE DAY: Hieroglyphics - Oakland Blackouts (1998)

"3rd Eye Vision" was the first official release from Hieroglyphics, the West Coast "conscious" hip-hop collective founded by Del tha Funkee Homosapien.  Though the 1998 album was the first under the Hiero moniker, each member had already contributed to an extensive collective discography, producing and appearing on each other's albums since the early 90s (most notably Souls of Mischief's 1993 conscious manifesto, "93 'til Infinity").  "Oakland Blackouts" is a standout track featuring two of the group's strongest emcees, Del and Opio, who exchange highly dynamic verses that are threaded expertly into Opio's bouncy, high energy production.

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Clark - Body Riddle (2006)

On "Body Riddle", Chris Clark secures his place among the forefathers of the IDM genre, undoubtedly recalling Warp's "big three" while successfully maintaining his own identity;  Autechre's urgent glitchiness, Squarepusher's acoustically sampled nu-jazz drum beats, and Richard D. James' enchanted melodies are all present here, yet "Body Riddle" most effectively establishes itself when taken as a whole.  The progression of these tracks enables the "growth" of its narrative in a lucid and profoundly immersive fashion, elevated by the impeccable production and vast scope of Clark's sonic landscape.  

SONG OF THE DAY: Ministry - I Wanted to Tell Her (1983)

Al Jourgensen may have disowned Ministry's synth-pop era, but tracks like "I Wanted to Tell Her" make "With Sympathy" an overlooked debut album.  Jourgensen displays his songwriting talents as well as his vocal abilities in this early period, before adopting an EBM sound for "Twitch" and eventually settling into his trademark mix of industrial and thrash metal.  Apart from appearing on "With Sympathy", "I Wanted to Tell Her" was also Ministry's second single, a funky and disco-inspired track that features soulful guest vocals from Shay Jones.  Here is proof that even Al's early tracks incorporate tough sounding beats and an aggressive vocal presence that foreshadows his work to come.

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Voices From the Lake - Voices From the Lake (2012)

"Voices From the Lake" is the self-titled album from Italian producers Donato Dozzy and Neel, a duo who have produced one of most deep and oneiric ambient techno records in the history of the genre.  The textures on this album are dense and womb-inspired, each track bleeding seamlessly into the next; every time I listen to this album I find myself breaking the trance of what feels like one brilliant track only to discover that I'm half way though this masterpiece.  Submerged, aquatic ambient music with micro-nods to dub techno.

DOCUMENTARY: Harry Partch - The Outsider (2002)

I'll be out of town for a week, posting will resume when I get back.  In the meantime, enjoy this BBC documentary about Harry Partch:

And here is a link to website with emulations of some of the instruments developed and invented by Partch for his microtonal music:

http://musicmavericks.publicradio.org/features/feature_partch.html

SONG OF THE DAY: Chris & Cosey - Arcade (1987)

The demise of Throbbing Gristle engendered several projects, some of which were arguably as significant as T.G. in their range of influence and impact on electronic music.  Genesis P-Orridge and Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson went on to form Psychic TV, with Christopherson later forming Coil with his partner John Balance.  Coil would continue to explore industrial music until their transition to acid-house in the early 90s, but the remaining two members of T.G. quickly progressed into dance music.  Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti released "Exotica" in 1987, and songs like "Arcade" demonstrate their cold take on synthpop music that borders on EBM, with Cosey's erotic vocals swirling between post-industrial percussion and sharp, punchy synths.

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Primal Scream - Sonic Flower Groove (1987)

Many have dismissed Primal Scream's debut as a second-tier Jesus & Mary Chain copy, before hitting their stride with the oft-praised 1991 opus, "Screamadelica".  True, singer Bobby Gillespie was the J&MC's drummer from 1984-1986, but upon closer inspection, his debut as vocalist on "Sonic Flower Groove" takes a lot less from the Velvet Underground and a lot more from the Byrds; in essence, the early phase of Primal Scream has more in common with the Church than the Jesus & Mary Chain.  Much like the Church's 1986 masterpiece "Heyday", "Sonic Flower Groove" is a satisfying blend of jangle-pop and neo-psychedlia that deserves a revisit by fans of the C86 and Paisley Underground sound.

SONG OF THE DAY: ロードスRhodes - Prysm

There is not much information to be found about ロードスRhodes other than the fact that they are part of the Sunrise Collective, a Baltimore based group focused on new and underground future-funk and vaporwave artists. ロードスRhodes makes high energy future-funk mixed with neu-disco, with a heavy influence from French House, the genre which was largely formed in the wake of Daft Punk's use of heavily filtered disco and funk samples.

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Dam-Funk - Toeachizown (2009)

"Toeachizown" compiles 5 digitally released mini-albums from Dam-Funk (Damon G. Riddick), an L.A. producer whose back-to-basics approach has breathed new life into the synth-funk genre.  Despite clocking in at over two hours, this compilation sounds fresh from beginning to end, with a heavy dose of retro-synth sounds highlighted by Riddick's sometimes smooth, sometimes alien vocals.  There are no samples here; everything is played or sung by Dam-Funk himself, and the payoff is an incredibly cohesive take on Prince and Stevie Wonder, with an electro-edge and sonic palette reminiscent of the best days of Metroplex.  If you're looking for more, check out D-F's DJ mixes; this guy really knows his stuff.

SONG OF THE DAY: Hooverphonic - Plus Profond (1996)

Hooverphonic released only one album with vocalist Liesje Sadonius before beginning their tenure with Geike Arnaert, 1996's "A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular".  The Belgian group, originally called Hoover before changing their name, integrate dream-pop vocals with trip-hop beats, and the result is a delicate and unpretentious sound, often sultry and humbly sophisticated.  "Plus Profond" showcases the sweet vocal presence of Sadonius, who recalls Elizabeth Fraser's angelic pipes, despite lacking the unparalleled vocal range of the latter.

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Grauzone - Die Sunrise Tapes (1998)

"Die Sunrise Tapes" is actually a reworked version of Grauzone's 1981 self-titled album, with a rearranged track order and a few songs added, most notably "Eisbär", their biggest and most accessible single.  The Swiss group play post-punk infused with minimal-wave, typical of the Neue Deutsche Welle sound and right at home with the Danes featured on the superb "Somewhere Outside" compilation, worth investigating if you're looking for more synth-heavy post-punk from Denmark.  Grazone offer a varied and multifaceted collection on "Die Sunrise Tapes", at times sounding as punky as early Joy Division and at others, akin to D.A.F. in their role as precursors to EBM and techno.

SONG OF THE DAY: Kuedo - Boundary Regulation (2015)

Kuedo (Jamie Teasdale) caught a lot of people's attention with the release of his 2011 album "Severant", which offered a unique blend of progressive electronic music and "footwork", a style that employs busy and often very dry drum machine sounds.  Kuedo has been known to feature prominent hi-hat sounds, resulting in beats that recall trap music and even chopped & screwed in their unnerving tempos and rudimentary production.  "Boundary Regulation" appears on "Assertion of a Surrounding Presence", an EP released by Kuedo in 2015 that further expands upon his dark, beat-based electronic music and succeeds in sounding both mystical and distinctly urban.

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Urban Tribe - The Collapse of Modern Culture (1998)

Urban Tribe is the project of Detroit producer Sherard Ingram, who brought in an impressive ensemble for his debut, "The Collapse of Modern Culture".  The expansive album ranges from dub-techno to downtempo and deep-house, strengthened by contributions from Carl Craig, Kenny Dixon Jr. (Moodyman) and Anthony "Shake" Shakir, all of whom lend their distinctive flavor to the atmospheric tracks.  In many ways, Urban Tribe is a supergroup of second-wave Detroit techno icons, though the group's leader, Ingram, is probably the least-known of the bunch.

SONG OF THE DAY: Revolting Cocks - No Devotion (1986)

The sound of Revolting Cocks in 1986 was not a far cry from Ministry's sound at that time, with "Twitch" offering a comparable mix of EBM and post-industrial music fronted by Al Jourgensen's snarling vocals.  Ministry would soon begin to incorporate metal into their sound, but RevCo continued to serve as party band and tongue-in-cheek outlet for Jourgensen, exemplified on their debut album, "Big Sexy Land".  "No Devotion" is an intense track with a groovy bassline, world music samples, and double-tracked creepy vocals that bring to mind the paranoid industrial-funk of Cabaret Voltaire's mid-80s sound.

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Airiel - Winks & Kisses (2004)

"Winks & Kisses" is a compilation of EPs from Airiel that were originally released as four separate CDs by Clairecords between 2003-2004.  An inordinate number of marginal shoegaze and dream-pop groups have surfaced in recent years, but Airiel are one of the most consistent groups to have remained relatively obscure.  This collection delivers track after track of tasteful and ethereal tunes that still sound fresh despite obvious influences; sonically, the group derives equal influence from the holy-trinity of shoegaze, evoking MBV's textures, Slowdive's dreamy post-rock climaxes, and Ride's Britpop-leaning vocal presence.

SONG OF THE DAY: Saint Etienne - Only Love Can Break Your Heart (1990)

Saint Etienne released an unlikely cover of Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" as their first single in 1990, and the track also appeared on their debut album, "Foxbase Alpha".  The effortlessly light and lovely UK trio transformed this song into a bouncy indie-house track, a far cry from the dirgey ballad of the original.  Sarah Cracknell's sweet vocal melody mostly stays true to the original, but the dubby bassline and proto-triphop beats would engender several deep-house versions based on Saint Etienne's incorporation of "Balearic Beat", the Ibiza-inspired style of dance music that also infatuated New Order at the time.

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Kode9 & The Spaceape - Memories of the Future (2006)

Hyperdub founder Kode9 collaborated with enigmatic dub-poet The Spaceape for "Memories of the Future", resulting in a record that, along with Burial's heart-wrenching early EPs, would lay the foundation for the Hyperdub sound.  Kode9 (Steve Goodman) provides a sparse, bass-heavy backdrop for the monotone poetry voiced by The Spaceape, who sounds like a dystopian replica of Linton Kwesi Johnson in his cool, ominous delivery.  "Memories of the Future" encompasses dubstep, dark ambient and beat poetry in its apocalyptic scope, a worthy soundtrack for a dark drive at night or a bedroom sojourn with a view of the sprawl.

SONG OF THE DAY: Jah Wobble - Today Is the First Day of the Rest of My Life (1980)

"Betrayal" is an apropos title for Jah Wobble's debut album; the infamous dub bassist "borrowed" several of the tracks from Public Image Ltd's "Metal Box" album for his solo project, a betrayal which allegedly caused a rift between he and John Lydon, resulting in Wobble's departure from the group.  In his defense, Jah Wobble both played and wrote the basslines and arguably laid the foundation for PIL's early sound along with Keith Levine, and tracks like "Today Is the First Day..." demonstrate his masterful blend of dub and post-punk .  But alas, the circle of betrayal brought things back around when Flipper stole the bassline of this track for their classic "Sex Bomb" one year later.

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Jan Jelinek - Loop-Finding-Jazz-Records (2001)

What makes "Loop-Finding-Jazz-Records" so remarkable is the fact that Jan Jelinek created the album entirely from jazz samples, a technique that could account for the warm, organic palette of this uniquely hypnotic record.  Jelinek uses samples of piano, organ, and strings, layered with glitchy pops to create an ambient "techno" record that barely qualifies as such, as far as traditional "beats" are concerned; these gentle taps add just enough structure to this delicate and patient album that gorgeously unfolds upon each listen.

RARE PUNK SINGLE OF THE WEEK: Gasoline - Killer Man / Radio Flic (1977)

French punk group Gasoline are most known for appearing on "Killed By Death #1" with "Killer Man", the blistering ripper which also served as the A-side for their intense 1977 EP.  The band released only one other single before their breakup, the bizarre "Sally", which sounds like it wasn't even recorded on the same planet, let alone the same year, as Gasoline's debut.  But before the noisy, freakish glam of "Sally", Gasoline solidified their place as the bad boys of lo-fi French punk with these two relentless cuts.

SONG OF THE DAY: A Certain Ratio - Shack Up (1980)

A Certain Ratio thankfully answer the question, "What would it sound like if Ian Curtis sang for a funk band?" What we have here is a cover of the 1975 funk track "Shack Up", originally recorded by Banbarra, a short-lived group from the states.  A Certain Ratio, one of the first bands on Factory Records, began their career aping label-mates Joy Division, but quickly developed their own style, equal parts dancey post-punk and white-boy funk.  "Shack Up" was a hit at the Haçienda and beyond, providing a lot of sample-worthy material despite Jez Kerr's icy-cold and detached vocal presence.

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Oppenheimer Analysis - New Mexico (1982)

"New Mexico" is a true gem of the minimal-wave genre, one that might have been doomed to obscurity had it not been for a recent reissue by Minimal Wave Records in 2015.  Oppenheimer Analysis released their one and only cassette in 1982, a melancholy album that is elevated from its own bleak depths by the angelic voice of Andie Oppenheimer, who presents his man-underground, future-shock vision with an unmatched tenderness.  The catchier tunes like "Don't Be Seen With Me" are perfectly juxtaposed with the slower, deeply emotional and crestfallen songs like "Modern Wonder" and the sombre title track, "New Mexico".

SONG OF THE DAY: SPK - Breathless (1987)

Australian group SPK underwent several profound changes throughout their career, evolving from harsh, noisy industrial music (Auto-da-fé) into ritual-ambient and neo-classical (Zamia Lehmanni).  But between these two distinct eras, the group took a sudden excursion into synth-pop for "Machine Age Voodoo" and the singles surrounding it, which feature SPK leader Graeme Revell's wife Sinan Leong as vocalist.  This era was largely rejected by both fans and critics alike, and thus resulted in Revell taking SPK into even more obscure territory than before the diversion.  Nevertheless, singles like "Breathless" are incredible examples of the magic that can happen when pop music is made by those who cut their teeth on industrial and post-punk.

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Forest Swords - Engravings (2013)

Tri Angle Records has harnessed a definitive vibe that permeates all of their artists, an atmosphere of spectral eeriness that transcends each release and in turn contributes to a cohesive catalog that succeeds in translating a specific vision.  After initially expanding on the witch-house genre, Tri Angle has widened its scope to include many unique and esoteric artists on its roster, including Forest Swords, the alias of UK producer Matthew Barnes.  Barnes released his debut full-length album "Engravings" in 2013 after two well received EPs, and the long-play format has lent itself well to his haunting mix of dark ambient, mystical world-music and ambient-dub.  This record has as distinct "forest" vibe, in the same way that Bo Hansson and certain black metal records can capture the essence of the magical and malevolent woods; it also manages to incorporate many different world music themes, pulling influence from Celtic, Arabic, South American, and Eastern music, all of which are blended effortlessly into the enigmatic tapestry that is "Engravings".