Darkly funny yet very true.

Even Opie and Richie Cunningham, the Fonz and Andy Griffiths want you to vote Obama (and how American are they? Stick that, Palin!):

Still not convinced? Check out DJ Paul V’s great Obama mix – and heed what the man says, share, blog, play, spread the word. I love the ‘Sarah Palin (I Wanna Lay Some Pipe)’ especially, and I have to say, as a former Jay-Z hata that his ‘Lick A Shot For Obama’ is not only on the money, it’s actually one of the best and most honest things he’s done in a LONG while. May it continue.

If you’re in the U.S. – don’t vote for ignorance, racism, war, homophobia, Xtian fundaMENTALism or reducing women’s rights. Vote for change don’t vote for fear. Otherwise the election could turn into more than a Halloween scare. Even I have some differences in what Obama says about gay marriage, but I would vote Obama if I could, and I wish I could because it does affect me, as it does the rest of the world, in the UK. This really feels like a dividing point in history, like 9/11 because it’s born of 9/11, seems like everyone’s been running since then and it’s time to stop. And change.

As Bill Hicks said:

“It’s just a ride, and we can change it any time we want. It’s only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings and money, a choice, right now, between fear and love. The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your door, buy guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love instead see all of us as one.”

‘Dark electro / Disco noir’ is what I call a certain type of music referencing or sampling certain horror movie soundtracks from Goblin to John Carpenter that’s popped up recently in certain electro / electro house quarters, and it’s a music that I can connect to for several reasons, it’s dark and broody and seems to fit the state of the nation at the moment (and I also love the music of those 70s and 80s horror movies).

It seems like a lot of new bands from the French (Zombie Zombie, NOTe Found, daRoc, Justice, Maesthelvin, Mustard Pimp) to the British (Padded Cell, Emperor Machine, Does It Offend You, Yeah? and Sisters of Transistors) and even further outposts (Rico Tubbs, Tsk Tsk, Presets, Supermayer) have a common basis to me, so this is also a manifesto of sorts linking these bands together with older and less obvious inspirations (or just my guilty pleasures!) such as Fad Gadget, David Shrigley, Meat Beat Manifesto and Peter Gabriel.

So although not a ‘Halloween’ mix I’ve mixed together these horror-inspired tracks with some of the original tracks that I think inspired them, and thrown in some horror movie samples (can you spot where they are from?) as a nod to Halloween…and this is the first in a series. It’s also the first mix I’ve done in Ableton.

Thanks go out to several blogs that have helped inspire this in posting various tracks, and are blogs I regularly read also:

• Discodust
• Discoworkout
• Valerie
• Trashbagkids

Instamatic – Dark mix 1 Remember a Monster mix is not just for Halloween (113Mb, 109 mins)

• Justice – Planisphere 1/2
• NOTe Found – Error 403
• Zombie Zombie – What’s happening in the city ?
• Fad Gadget – State Of The Nation
• Late Of The Pier – The Bears Are Coming (Emperor Machine Remix)
• Padded Cell – Savage Skulls (Extended Version)
• Fad Gadget – 4m
• Maethelvin – Lost In Big City
• John Carpenter – The Bank Robbery
• David Shrigley – Loathsome
• Sage Francis – Civil Obedience
• Fad Gadget – Love Parasite
• John Carpenter – Escape From New York
• The Sisters of Transistors – the Don
• Padded Cell – World Of Mouth
• Fad Gadget – 4m
• Rufus Wainwright – Tiergarten (Supermayer Remix)
• Padded Cell – Far Beneath London
• John Carpenter – The End
• Meat Beat Manifesto – Oblivion/Humans
• TSK TSK – Un-Mustered
• Peter Gabriel – Of These, Hope
• The Presets – Girl and the Sea
• Justice – Phantom Pt2 (Soulwax Remix)
• John Carpenter – The Shape Stalks Laurie
• Does It Offend You, Yeah? – Weird Science
• Detroit Grand Pubahs – If Snow Was Black
• The Presets – Kicking and Screaming
• David Shrigley – The Jist
• SebastiAn – Victimo
• John Carpenter – Arrival At The Library
• Ragga Twins – The Homeless Problem
• Giorgio Moroder – If You Weren’t Afraid
• Mustard Pimp – Zombie Revenge
• Rico Tubbs – Gangsters (Original Mix)
• Mustard Pimp – Oh la la Satan (Stereoheroes Remix)
• Glowstyx – 7 Daze
• Legowelt – Electro Race
• Vangelis – End Titles
• DaRoc vs Preston Park – Serie B aka The Ice Entrance
• Eric Idle – That’s Death

and this:

LOL not my type of polar bear, but cute none the less (by craftysquid)

And explore this first

Where’d Russia go? LOL