Tune #101: The Space Cadets - Stotinki

In a previous post I mentioned the need for an experimental DJ set, following the standards of The Future Sound of London. A perfect learning start would be their first Essential Mix at BBC Radio 1, aired on 12 April 1993 (whoa, time flies!). Many obscure tracks are presented in the set, a personal favorite of which would be Stotinki by The Space Cadets.

The Space Cadets was a one-off collaboration between the British Asian Haq Nawaz Qureshi and Cypriot Harri Kakoulli.

Nawaz's history is definitely not common. He was born and grew up in Bradford. At the start of the eighties, he was the drummer in gothic punk band Southern Death Cult (until 1983) and later in alternative rock band Getting The Fear (1984). In 1986, he moved to London, in order to set up a company for signing artists to major record labels. Two years later, with no signings of compositions that fused world music with dance elements, he started with Katherine Canoville a new music label that focused primarily on that goal. The label was Nation Records, an early home for groups such as Asian Dub Foundation, Transglobal Underground and Loop Guru. In 1997, Katherine's involvement in the label ended, making Nawaz the sole head honcho. The steps followed by him were controversial. Spending a lot of his time travelling, he met with extremists and jihadists and he even attempted to meet Osama Bin Laden back in 1998. His controversial actions can be identified in his primary music project Fun-Da-Mental, with strong preference in Islamic fundamentalism. The ideology projected through his tracks was provocative and uncompromising, leading to trouble with the law and the label's directors.

Harry Kakoulli is multi-instrumentalist, mostly known for his tenure as the bass player for Squeeze, between 1976 and 1979. Throughout the first half of the 80's, he followed a solo career that spawned an album and a handful of EPs. Since the end of the 80's, he has been an early collaborator for Nation Records, composing records that fuse world music, techno and trance (adopting the label's ethos). His valuable experience gave him the chance to produce the first compilations of the music company (Fuse 1 & 2). Nowadays, he still involved in electronic music production, ranging from downtempo/balearic to progressive house and psy-trance (always with a Middle Eastern music essence!).

The original version of Stotinki (as well as the Dub mix) appeared for the first time in 1991, included in the second installment of the Fuse series. Two years later, a remixed version by Transglobal Underground (Tim Whelan & Hamilton Lee) surfaced in another Nation compilation, named Global Sweatbox Remix Album. The last version is the one that was used by FSOL for the Essential Mix.

The female vocals in the track are undoubtedly astonishing and they belong to Anglo-Egyptian singer Natacha Atlas, whose contribution to Nation Records is immense. Her singing career started by being a member of Transglobal Undeground and she is now considered one of the prominent singers in ethnic electronica genre.

Finally, you can enjoy the 3 versions of the track:

THE SPACE CADETS - STOTINKI



THE SPACE CADETS - STOTINKI (DUB MIX)


THE SPACE CADETS - STOTINKI (TRANSGLOBAL UNDERGROUND MIX)


P.S. I cannot imagine the connection between the sub-units of the Bulgarian currency (stotinki) with the track...

Tune #100: Στάθης Θεοχαράκης - Σημείο Μηδέν / Stathis Theoharakis - Point Zero

Από τη στιγμή που η σημερινή ανάρτηση είναι αφιερωμένη σε Έλληνα μουσικό, επιλέχθηκε ο ελληνικός τρόπος γραφής...

Ύστερα από αναζήτηση μέσα στο "δομημένο χάος" που ονομάζεται Discogs, εντόπιστηκε ένας πολύ ενδιαφέρων μουσικός ονόματι Στάθης Θεοχαράκης. Γεννημένος το 1958 στη Νέα Αγχίαλο της Θεσσαλίας, ο Θεοχαράκης ασχολήθηκε με τη παραγωγή μουσικής από την όψιμη εφηβεία του, υπό τις οδηγίες του Πάνου Κόκκινου. Αφού δούλεψε σε αρκετά νυχτερινά κέντρα της Ελλάδας, έγινε μέλος σε ορχήστρες για δημοφιλείς Έλληνες καλλιτέχνες, όπως η Δήμητρα Γάλανη, ο Γιάννης Ζουγανέλης, ο Λάκης Παπαδόπουλος και οι Αδελφοί Κατσιμίχα. Η δεκαετία του 90 ήταν πιο παραγωγική για αυτόν, όταν επέστρεψε στη γενέτειρά του, με σκοπό τη συμμετοχή σε σχήματα πειραματικής μουσικής. Η πιο αξιόλογη (και η πιο συχνή) συνεργασία ήταν με τον Κωστή Δρυγιανάκη, έναν από τους σημαντικότερους εκπροσώπους της ελληνικής ηλεκτροακουστικής μουσικής της σύγχρονης εποχής.

Προς το τέλος της προηγούμενης χιλιετίας κυκλοφόρησαν οι 2 προσωπικοί δίσκοι του Στάθη Θεοχαράκη, Δίχως Άμφια (1999) και Καλή Ανάσταση! (2001), οι οποίοι κινούνται σε ambient / experimental ύφος. Πέρα από τους προσωπικούς δίσκους, ο Θεοχαράκης συμμετείχε στα συγκροτήματα Γκραφίτι (1991) και Praxis (2008).

Το σημερινό κομμάτι αποτελεί το εισαγωγικό κομμάτι του δεύτερου προσωπικού δίσκου; μια μελαγχολική σύνθεση πιάνου συνοδεύομενη από μελωδίες σαξοφώνου ίδιου ύφους και ηλεκτρονικά εφέ.

ΣΤΑΘΗΣ ΘΕΟΧΑΡΑΚΗΣ - ΣΗΜΕΙΟ ΜΗΔΕΝ / STATHIS THEOHARAKIS - POINT ZERO


Το Σημείο Μηδέν (όπως και τα υπόλοιπα κομμάτια του δίσκου) είναι ουσιαστικά συνεργασία 3 ατόμων:
- Στάθης Θεοχαράκης στο πιάνο και πλήκτρα
- Κωστής Δρυγιανάκης στα τύμπανα και στα ηλεκτρονικά εφέ
- Φάνης Παναγιωτόπουλος στα πνευστά

Πριν από περίπου 2 χρόνια δυστυχώς ο Στάθης Θεοχαράκης απεβίωσε λόγω καρδιακής ανακοπής (25.8.2017). Η πιο σημαντική κληρονομιά που αφήνει πίσω του είναι η οικογένειά του; η σύζυγός του Ζωή και ο γιος τους Θεοχάρης, φοιτητής μηχανολογίας και επίσης μουσικός.

Επιμύθιον: Με τη δημοσίευση του 100ου κομματιού στο Music Miner επιτυγχάνεται ένας στόχος που δεν είχα στο μυαλό μου όταν δημιούργησα πριν από περίπου 10 χρόνια αυτό το ιστολόγιο. Επιστροφή στο Σημείο Μηδέν!

Tune #99: James Holden - I Have Put Out The Light

James Holden is a no stranger in the electronic music industry. A prodigy of the progressive sound, he composed in 1999 his first track, Horizons, which was released one year later by Silver Planet Recordings and became an instant success. The track was a runaway club hit, supported by top disc jockeys like Dave Seaman, Sasha, John Digweed and Nick Warren (the latter along with Jody Wisternoff created even a banging remix). The subsequent releases were also successful, with Nothing (both the Original Version and the 93 Returning Mix) reaching the pinnacle of progressive trance of that era.

Holden's hits made him a highly sought name for remixes by the big players (Madonna, Britney Spears, Depeche Mode). In 2002, Sasha invited him to be part of the production team for his album Airdrawndagger (the album's eighth track, Bloodlock, was a collaboration between Sasha, Holden & Junkie XL). In the meantime, Holden showcased his DJ skills in mix CDs. His first one (Fear Of The Silver Planet) was supported by Silver Planet, mainly consisting of his productions and remixes. The second one was the fifth installment of the Balance series (curated by EQ Recordings) and it is till this day one of the greatest mixes ever conceived.

The "progressive" phase of James Holden lasted until 2005, when he decided to focus on different music styles. This transition is reflected in the early releases of Border Community, Holden's label home. His first works in the label can be described as minimal progressive house, which progressed to experimental IDM. Under the label's umbrella, several innovative artists produced solid compositions, like Petter, Nathan Fake, Avus, The MFA and Luke Abbott.

I haven't followed James Holden's work for years (as a matter of fact, his new orientation is not my cup of tea), but I recently discovered one of his early works, which has escaped my radar. In 2002 he created his third EP for Silver Planet, titled Solstice/I Have Put Out The Light. The B-side of the EP is presented in the current post.

JAMES HOLDEN - I HAVE PUT OUT THE LIGHT



IHPOTL is the characteristic sound of Holden's early output; hypnotic driving pads and tweaked vocals. In my opinion, it can be considered as a precursor to the acclaimed Nothing track. The ethereal yet sedate voice of Jenny Holden (James' little sister) is tweaked for a darker emotional experience.

An interview with James Holden from the old days can be found here.