Week 14: Neue Deutsche Welle

So a couple of weeks ago my pal Laura from Portland wrote on my Facebook wall:
"yours truly would like to request a neue deutsche welle mixkassette, bitte."

And then I played this Portland gig, and long story short there was a nightmarish planning mishap that left me stranded in the airport for 10+ hours. Laura came and rescued me, then proceeded to feed and entertain me until it was time for me to return to the airport. For future reference, this is the best possible way to get me to make a mixtape.

Anyway, Neue Deutsche Welle was a genre of music that came out of Germany (and, to a lesser extent, Austria) from about 1978 until the mid-1980s. The name literally translates to "New German Wave", and stylistically it drew heavily from punk, new wave, early industrial music, and musique concrète, but presented it in a distinctly German fashion, mostly in the German language. By about 1983, the sound had started to pick up enough that you had a lot of bad poppy imitations flooding the market, and things started to fall apart. Most of the original artists had moved on by '85, but the genre's influence can still be felt in EBM, New Beat, Industrial, Darkwave, Electroclash, Dance Punk, Minimal Techno, and whatever the kids are doing in Berlin these days. Here's a tape of my faves.

Chrissy's Year of Mixtapes Week 14: Neue Deutsche Welle

1. Robert Görl; Mit Dir (Mute)
   
2. Alphaville; Summer In Berlin (WEA)
   
3. Robert Görl feat. Annie Lennox; Darling Don't Leave Me (12" Version) (Mute)
   
4. Neon; Neon (Heimat)
   
5. Joachim Witt; Goldener Reiter (WEA)
   
6. Andreas Dorau & Die Marinas; Fred Vom Jupiter (Ata Tak)
   
7. Der Plan; Ampel (Ata Tak)
   
8. Grauzone; Film 2 (Welt-Rekord)
   
9. Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft; Verschwende Deine Jugend (Virgin)
   
10. Blindgänger; Spiel Ohne Worte (Wirklick Optimal)
    
11. Gleitzeit; Ich Komme Aus Der DDR (Robot Records)
    
12. 1. Futurologischer Congress; Rote Autos (Wagner Tonträger)
    
13. Propaganda; Dr. Mabuse (ZTT)
    
14. Der Plan; Commerce Exterieur Mondial Sentimentale (Ata Tak)
    
15. 1. Futurologischer Congress; Stoned Im Dschungel (Wagner Tonträger)
16. Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft; Im Dschungel Der Liebe (Virgin)
    
17. Andy Giorbino; Modernes Japan (Zickzack)
    
18. Palais Schaumburg; Telephon (Zickzack)
    
19. Peter Schilling; Major Tom (WEA)
    
20. Robert Görl; Berührt Verführt (Mute)
    
21. Boytronic; Red Chips (Mercury)
    
22. Alphaville; Forever Young (WEA)
    

NEXT WEEK: Belgian Rave, 1991.

Week 13: A last-ditch attempt to hang on to Summer

So it's late August, and I don't know about you, but here in Chicago we didn't really have much of a Summer. It was actually kind of nice—I hate the excessively hot Midwestern Summers, and I was delighted to have a whole year where we barely broke into the 90s (that's the 30s for you celsius people). I played a Portland gig a couple of weeks ago, and apparently they had the opposite problem—the Pacific Northwest was host to the hottest Summer in memory this year (104° in a region where nobody has A/C)—so I'm counting my blessings that I didn't end up downright miserable like them.

Nevertheless, it feels like I missed something. So here's a tape of Summer anthems, BBQ tunes, and porch party bumpers to blare out of your jeep. Some of these are specifically summer-referential; others are just huge summer mega-anthems of years past that remind me of public pools, fireworks, and 120 degree automobile interiors. Enjoy!

Chrissy's Year of Mixtapes Week 13: Summer Anthems

1. Nelly; Hot In Herre (Universal)
   
2. Busta Rhymes; Fire It Up (Remix) (Elektra)
   
3. South Rakkas Crew feat. Kid Foreigner & Bigga Boss; Hotter Than Them (Mad Decent)
   
4. Heatwave; Too Hot To Handle (Epic)
   
5. Tasha Thomas; Hot Buttered Boogie (Atlantic)
   
6. Vicki Sue Robinson; Hot Summer Night (Dub) (Prelude Records)
   
7. The Sugarhill Gang; Hot Hot Summer Day (Sugar Hill Records)
   
8. Shirley Lites; Heat You Up (Melt You Down) (West End Records)
   
9. Risqué; Burn It Up Mr. DJ (Chrissy Re-Edit) (Polydor)
   
10. Klinte Jones; In The Heat Of The Night (Oh My! Records)
    
11. Martha & The Vandellas; Heatwave (Motown)
    
12. Tony Curtis; Rollin' (Flabba Music)
    
13. Natural Black; Beautiful Morning (Flabba Music)
    
14. Lady G; Good Man Short (Main St.)
    
15. Beenie Man; Who Am I? (Greensleeves)
    
16. Dutty Cup Crew; Stick-Up (Greensleeves)
    
17. Mr. Vegas; Nike Air (Greensleeves)
    
18. Sean Paul; Infiltrate (Greensleeves)
    
19. Spragga Benz; Strong Performer (Greensleeves)
    
20. New Young Pony Club feat. Rubi Dan; Ice Cream (The Heatwave Remix) (unreleased)
    
21. Sammy Bananas; Summer Bounce (Fools Gold)
    
22. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince; Summertime (Jive)
    
23. Snoop Dogg feat. Pharrell; Beautiful (Priority)
    
24. The Art of Noise feat. Rakim; Metaforce (Rhythm Masters Remix) (ZTT)
    
25. Basement Jaxx; Red Alert (Jaxx Club Mix) (XL)
    
26. MK; Burning (Mr. Roy's Sezoo Vocal Mix) (Activ)
    
27. Frankie Knuckles; The Whistle Song (Sound Factory 12") (Virgin)
    
28. Erykah Badu / Dandruff Truckers; Way Back (Bar-B-Q)
    
29. The Underdog Project; Summer Jam (Loop Dance Constructions)
    
30. Soft Tigers / Waxmaster Maurice / DJ Pillsbury; Ice Cream (Chrissy Blend) (unreleased)

NEXT WEEK: Neue Deutsche Welle.

Week 12: UK Rave, 1991

This week I've put together a tape of British rave tunes from 1991. I was gonna make a tape of just rave classics in general dating from 1991, but then I realized that there is just SO MUCH STUFF that I'd have to narrow it down somehow. There will be a Belgian/Dutch 1991 tape coming in a few weeks, and 1992 will get a similar treatment later in the year.

A little historical context: As you may or may not know, the concept of the "rave" is a British invention. The English took our good old-fashioned American techno and house, and fashioned an entirely new culture around it (with heavy influence from the sound system culture brought to the UK by immigrants from the Caribbean). Initially the DJs in England were mostly playing Midwestern techno & house imports (and pale British imitations of the aforementioned), but by the 1990s Britain was clearly developing its own musical styles and genres (see the Bleep tape I posted earlier in the year). If you ask me, 1991 was really the year that England came into its own with regard to dance music (with '92 being the real artistic peak of British rave, before it splintered into scores of tiny sub-scenes and micro-genres in 1993-1997). That having been said, here's what I consider to be the cream of the crop from '91.

Chrissy's Year of Mixtapes Week 12: 1991 UK Rave Tunes

1. Orbital; Chime (FFRR / Internal)
   
2. Baby D; Day Dreaming (Can You Handle It Mix) (Production House)
   
3. The Shamen; Move Any Mountain (Devil Mix) (One Little Indian / Epic)
   
4. The KLF; Last Train To Trancentral (KLF)
   
5. The Art of Noise; Shades of Paranoimia (Carl Cox Remix) (China)
   
6. Rhythm On The Loose; Break Of Dawn (The One After D)
   
7. Orbital; Choice (FFRR / Internal)
   
8. 808 State; Cubik (Ex:El Version) (ZTT)
   
9. Soundsource; Take Me Up (Chrissy Re-Edit) (FFRR)
   
10. MIDI Rain; Eyes (Bizarre Inc. Remix) (Vinyl Solution)
    
11. Opus III; It's A Fine Day (EastWest)
    
12. Dream Frequency; Feel So Real (CityBeat)
    
13. Smart Systems; The Tingler (Remix) (Jumpin' & Pumpin')
    
14. Eon; Fear: The Mindkiller (Vinyl Solution)
    
15. Zero Zero; Zeroxed (Kickin')
    
16. Nexus 21; Sychologic P.S.P. (Network)
    
17. Isotonik; Different Strokes (Ffrreedom)
    
18. Altern 8; Infiltrate 202 (Altern 8 vs. Astrix & Space Re-Remix) (Network)
    
19. The Prodigy; Charly (Alley Cat Mix) (XL)
    
20. Phuture Assassins; Shot Like Dis (Suburban Base)
    
21. Shut Up & Dance; Green Man (Rum & Black Mix) (Shut Up & Dance)
    
22. SL2; DJs Take Control (XL)
    
23. Bizarre Inc.; Playing With Knives (Quadrant Mix) (Vinyl Solution)
    
24. Alternative Dance Indulgence; Testify (white)
    
25. 2 Bad Mice; Bombscare (Movin' Shadow)
    
26. SL2; The Noise (Remix) (XL)
    
27. Altern 8; Activ-8 (Network)
    
28. The Prodigy; Your Love (XL)
    

NEXT WEEK: A last-ditch attempt to hang on to Summer.

Week 11: 1990s Vocal House

Here's a tape of music I absolutely love but don't often get to play out: vocal house anthems of the 1990s.

Chrissy's Year of Mixtapes Week 11, Side A: 1990s Vocal House

1. Colonel Abrams; I'm Caught Up (MicMac)
2. Jomanda; I Cried The Tears (Ralphi Rosario Extended Vocal) (Big Beat)
3. Björk; Crying (Elektra)
   
4. Jamie Principle; Date With The Rain (Smash Records)
   
5. Deee-Lite; Power Of Love (12" Mix) (Elektra)
   
6. Cathy Dennis; Touch Me (All Night Long) (Chrissy Re-Edit) (SBK)
   
7. Alison Limerick; Where Love Lives (Perfecto Mix) (Arista)
   
8. Photon Inc. f. Paula Brion; Generate Power (Club Mix) (Strictly Rhythm)
   
9. Funky Green Dogs From Outer Space; Reach For Me (Murk)
   
10. Annie Lennox; Little Bird (House of Gypsies Version) (Arista)
    
11. Coco Steel & Lovebomb; Set Me Free (Chrissy Re-Edit) (Warp)
    
12. Masters At Work f. India; I Can't Get No Sleep (MK Remix) (Cutting Records)
    
13. Swing 52; The Joy You Bring (Original Classic Twelve) (Cutting Records)
    
14. Madonna; Deeper & Deeper (Shep Pettibone Deep Makeover) (Maverick)
    

Chrissy's Year of Mixtapes Week 11, Side B: 1990s Vocal House

1. Utah Saints f. Gwen Guthrie; What Can You Do For Me? (Chrissy Re-Edit) (FFRR)
2. Cathy Dennis & David Morales; Find The Key To Your Life (SBK)
   
3. Repercussions; Promise Me Nothing (Dusk 'Til Dawn Sampladelic RMX) (Reprise)
   
4. Bizarre Inc. f. Angie Brown; Took My Love (Knew Family Club Mix) (Vinyl Solution)
   
5. CeCe Peniston; Finally (Classic Funk Mix) (A&M)
   
6. Eddie "Flashin'" Fowlkes f. Maurissa Rose; Let Us Pray (Tedd & Hippie RMX) (Bold! Soul Records)
   
7. Kings of Tomorrow; Ancestors (Blackwiz Vocal Mix) (Deep Vision Records)
   
8. Opus III; When You Made The Mountain (MK Remix) (EastWest)
   
9. Abstract Truth; We Had a Thing (Matty's Body & Soul Mix) (Streetwave)
   
10. Madison Avenue; Don't Call Me Baby (The Dronez Old School Vocal Mix) (VC Recordings)
    
11. Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam; Let The Beat Hit 'Em (C+C Club Mix) (Epic)
    
12. Reality; Yolanda (Strictly Rhythm)
    
13. DSK; What Would We Do? (Steve "Silk" Hurley RMX) (FFRR)
    
14. Crystal Waters; Gypsy Woman (Stripped To The Bone) (Mercury)
    
15. NuYorican Soul f. Roy Ayers; Sweet Tears (One Rascal Edit) (Talkin' Loud / BBE)
    
16. Martha Wash; Come (Danny D RMX) (Logic)
    

NEXT WEEK: UK Rave Tunes, 1991.