Flying Sparks 2010-08-23: UK Disco

This time: music from the U.K., mostly as a pair, new & classic ones, UK Dance & Brit Pop, heroes of the 1990s and beyond.

Norman Cook, better known as Fatboy Slim, brought the track Brimful of Asha by his remix to the dancefloor in 1997. In 2009, Tjindar Singh and Ben Ayers a.k.a. Cornershop have published a great feel good album with Judy Sucks A Lemon For Breakfast which comprises all the best of their sound between Asian Beats and Brit Pop.

The duo Goldfrapp always reinvent themselves anew. This was already the case when they have let succeed the Electro Pop album Black Cherry (2003) to their debut Felt Mountain, then they created the better Confessions On A Dancefloor album (Madonna): Supernature (2005). Last, they did the Folk influenced Seventh Tree (2008). The new release Head First is for the dancefloor again, but this time their tracks are inspired by the 1970′s Disco era, e.g. the beautiful Alive.

Faithless who invented the maybe most cool songline of all times with God Is A DJ , are also still alive by continuously publishing new releases. Though they never reinvent themselves, they continue to spin their catchy sounds further on for the album The Dance and the first single Not Going Home: It’s not over. I’m not going home, til’ I can take you with me. This is not worldshaking, but quite okay.

The Anglo-Indian Brit Pop band Kula Shaker was quite successful in the 1990s (Govinda, Tattva). Then they were vanished before they tried a not so successful comeback in 2007. But now they have published the amazing new Brit Pop album Pilgrim’s Progress with an obituary for Peter Pan (Peter Pan R.I.P).

Dreadzone is also a band from the 1990s (Little Britain 1995, Earth Angel 1997), their sound was/is a mixture of hypnotic Dance, Dub, sometimes Celtic melodies. They’re back with Eye On The Horizon, Yeah Man! is a Breakbeat track with slight Dubstep influences, isn’t it?

Neil Hannon a.k.a. The Divine Comedy delivers the hymn of the Indie disco. Afterwards, the disco is full of Indian Village Vibez by Osmani Soundz (from the first Nasha compilation Eastern Drum & Breaks, 2003). The Blaqstarr remix of XXXO, the most catchy song from the new M.I.A. album Maya, reminds me of the track before. Then, a heavier track: a Drum’n'Bass remix of Paper Planes of the predecessor album Kala. Paper Planes is also known from the soundtrack of the B/Hollywood film Slumdog Millionaire.

Shara Nelson is known from Massive Attacks Unfinished Sympathy (Blue Lines 1991). Now, Calibre has created a Drum’n'Bass remix of the 1998′s Sense Of Danger feat. Shara Nelson which is accompanied with the title track of her 1993 solo album What Silence Knows. This mood is kept by the ambient The Dim Light by the DnB DJ D-Bridge. Before the lights in the disco will be completely switched off, Dreadzone whispers Just Let Go.

In the following, there are the links for the listening pleasure @ Mixcloud as well as the playlist.

Here’s the track listing:

1. Cornershop: Brimful Of Asha (Norman Cook Remix Extended Version) (Brighton)
   Brimful Of Asha (MCD) (Wiiija 1998)
2. Cornershop: Half Brick
   Judy Sucks A Lemon For Breakfast (Ample Play 2009)
3. Goldfrapp: Alive
   Head First (Mute 2010)
4. Faithless: Not Going Home (Original Mix)
   Not Going Home (MCD) (PIAS 2010)
5. Dreadzone: Yeah Man
   Eye On The Horizon (Dubwiser 2010)
6. Kula Shaker: Govinda (Monkey Mafia Pigsy’s Vision)
   Govinda (MCD) (Columbia 1996)
7. Kula Shaker: Peter Pan RIP
   Pilgrim’s Progress (Strangefolk 2010)
8. The Divine Comedy: At The Indie Disco
   Bang Goes The Knighthood (Divine Comedy 2010)
9. Osmani Soundz: Village Vibez
   Nasha – Eastern Drum & Breaks Vol. 1 (Nasha 2003)
10. M.I.A.: XXXO (Blaqstarr Dirty Mix)
    XXXO The Remixes 12inch (XL 2010)
11. M.I.A.: Paper Planes (Heavy Mix)
    Paper Planes Club & Heavy Mixes 12inch (White 2009)
12. Presence feat. Shara Nelson: Sense Of Danger (Calibre Vocal Remix)
    Sense Of Danger Calibre Remixes 12inch (Juno 2010)
13. Shara Nelson: What Silence Knows
    What Silence Knows (Chrysalis/Cooltempo 1993)
14. D-Bridge: The Dim Light
    Love Hotel / The Dim Light 12inch (Exit 2010)
15. Dreadzone: Just Let Go
    Eye On The Horizon (Dubwiser 2010)