Tune #107: Mama - Dancing Wheels

Following the appreciation for electro aesthetic music of Greece (as per previous post), today's track follows the same 80's vibes:

MAMA - DANCING WHEELS

"Δεν κατάλαβα, γιατί μας την βγαίνετε έτσι άγαρμπα;"

Mama is an alias of Manolis Zografakis, an electronic music producer with Cretan heritage. His first encounter with music was in 2000, when he was a guitar player for punk rock band Squareheads. Amazed by the unlimited boundaries of electronic music, he began composing his first tracks varying different styles (from tech-house to downtempo electronica). In the meantime, he performed as a DJ in several nightclubs of Athens. In 2006, he drew the attention of Greek label The Sound Of Everything, which curated the Hellectronic compilation, featuring the newcomers in electronic and dance scene of Greece. Mama contributed to the compilation with his track Have A Nice Trip. 

Two years later, the label released his first studio album called Blue. While the album presents in general a deep-house orientation, several elements from other music genres are blended together (minimal techno, IDM, tech-house and progressive house) to create a diverse output, which was well received by the public.

At the same period (according to Manolis), he composed two electro-flavored tracks for a new EP (1985 and Dancing Wheels), heavily inspired by the 80's culture (traces for his nostalgia can also be found in album track For The 80's). The EP was previously unreleased, until he uploaded the two tracks a few months ago in his Bandcamp page. The second track (presented today) includes rough electro beats & cold basslines, combined with vocal excerpts from Greek 80's movie "Όταν Οι Ρόδες Χορεύουν" ("When Wheels Dance" -> "Dancing Wheels"). Even the video clip, which features edited scenes from the movie, transforms the naive style of the direct-to-video film to a dark punk motion picture.

Unfortunately, Manolis Zografakis has not released any new material (at least under this alias). During the last years he has been focused on Digital Marketing and Creative Strategy through his main project Broke In London. However, his latest audiovisual touch is a neat example of the 80's revival music.

Tune #81: Simple Minds - A Brass Band In African Chimes

In 2001 Beachwood Music, a label notorious for its crappy compilations, assigned Nick Bracegirdle to create a compilation of tracks which represent the sound of Ibiza. Nick was enjoying his G.O.A.T. years with his Chicane & Disco Citizens aliases at the time, so he seemed the appropriate person for the job (Offshore is still regarded as one of Ibiza's anthems).

Like most 2-CD compilations, the classic formula is also applied here: The 1st CD is the chillout interpretation of the project, consisting of downtempo tracks with mellow melodies and breakbeats. The 2nd CD is the more club-friendly, with some of the most famous house & trance tracks of the 90's.

The non-electronic (or the least electronic!) track of the compilation is A Brass Band In African Chimes by Simple Minds:

SIMPLE MINDS - A BRASS BAND IN AFRICAN CHIMES


Simple Minds are a famous Scottish band of the 80's. Initially found success in the UK, the band achieved international fame with the song Don't You Forget About Me (which was included in the film The Breakfast Club). Although they are mostly known for their new wave/synth-pop productions (Alive & Kicking, Someone Somewhere In Summertime, Waterfront), three tracks distinguished them from the other new wave bands:
·         Belfast Child: an expression of empathy for the people of Northern Ireland after the                               Remembrance Day bombing (possibly an answer to U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday?)
·         Mandela Day: a freeing cry for the then-imprisoned Nelson Mandela
·         Today's posted track

A Brass Band In African Chimes was released in 1984 by Virgin, firstly as a B-side to Up On The Catwalk, and one year later (as a B-side again) in Don't You Forget About Me. Composed by Simple Minds and produced by Steve Lillywhite (who was the driving force behind the first 3 albums of U2), this lush instrumental can perfectly fit as a closer in a DJ set. Although the composition does not bear strong resemblance with the classic Simple Minds sound, an association can be found through the distinctive guitar riffs of Charlie Burchill.

An interesting trivia for the track is that it was actually a reconstruction of a demo version for Shake Off The Ghosts, which appeared in album Sparkle In The Rain (1983):

SIMPLE MINDS - SHAKE OFF THE GHOSTS (DEMO VERSION)


Simple Minds have deeply influenced the electronic music with their tracks: Some representative examples are:
·         Latour - Blue (featured in movie Basic Instinct) sampled the intro of Theme For Great Cities.
·         U.S.U.R.A - Open Your Mind (an Italo progresssive house anthem) is largely based on                         track New Gold Dream.
·         CJ Bolland - Golden Dreams (one of the first rave tracks) uses a sample from Big Sleep.

Simple Minds are one of the most underrated bands in the history of music. While their beginning was pretty much in parallel with the Irish U2, they former never reached the fame status of the latter. The band faced a commercial decline in the 90's, only to revive in mid-00's. However, their contribution to the music of the 80's is undisputed.

Tune #32: Nikos Diamantopoulos - Tribal Dreams

BREAKING NEWS!!! Η ελληνική δισκογραφική εταιρεία Klik Records κλείνει 10 χρόνια ζωής. Η γιορτή ξεκινά στο Μusic Miner με μία από τις πρώτες κυκλοφορίες του label, το Tribal Dreams από τον Νίκο Διαμαντόπουλο (Nikos Diamantopoulos).

NIKOS DIAMANTOPOULOS - TRIBAL DREAMS

Η γνωριμία του Νίκου με τη μουσική έγινε στα 9 του, όταν άρχισε τις σπουδές στο μουσικό σχολείο της Yamaha. Μετά την ολοκλήρωση των σπουδών, ανέλαβε την διδασκαλία ενός μαθήματος για 2 χρόνια. Το 1989 ξεκινά την καριέρα του ως DJ, παίζοντας δίσκους jazz, funk και acid jazz επιρροές, ενώ σιγά σιγά επηρεάζεται από την (νέα τότε) house. To 1998 σκέφτεται για πρώτη φορά την παραγωγή δικών του κομματιών, οπότε τον επόμενο χρόνο κυκλοφορεί η πρώτη του δουλειά ως House Perfume υπό την δισκογραφική Coda Records. Το 2002 κυκλοφορεί το πρώτο του album, Deeper Perfume, με διαφορετικό alias (Nikkie D) στην σκωτσέζικη δισκογραφική Under The Counter. Φτάνουμε στο 2003, όταν δημιουργήθηκε η Klik Records, της οποίας το πρώτο artist album που κυκλοφόρησε ήταν το A New Life (στο οποίο περιέχεται και το Tribal Dreams). Τέλος, ο Νίκος κυκλοφορεί το 2005 και 2007 τα albums Moments In Dreams και Blue, αντίστοιχα. Η ενασχόληση του με τη μουσική τα τελευταία χρόνια  συνεχίζεται σε remixes κομματιών άλλων καλλιτεχνών.

Το καλοκαίρι έχει μπει επίσημα εδώ και 3 μέρες. Το Tribal Dreams θα μπορούσε να αποτελεί ένα summer soundtrack, με τους balearic, blissful ήχους του. Παρά τα 10 χρόνια κυκλοφορίας του, ακούγεται πιο φρέσκο από ποτέ... ΚΑΛΟ ΚΑΛΟΚΑΙΡΙ!