‘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

Ever wondered what Mr Massey of 808 State is upto nowadays? Well working with these people, the Sisters of Transistors:

Nice to see a) it’s rocking that electro-horror sound I’ve been calling ‘disco noir’ or ‘dark electro’ that takes a lot of inspiration from Mssrs Carpenter and Moroder, with a dash of early 80′s New York 99 Records/ESG-ness. It’s like Zombie Zombie and Padded Cell so I smell a genre – hence I’m working on a mix of this music and it’s inspirations and b) it’s in 3D! weee!!!

CC Share Alike, Original photo by Leo Reynolds

Thanks for calling Radio Clash, I’m sorry no-one can be bothered to answer the phone at the moment, please hold, we will answer the phone as soon as someone becomes intractable. Please remember your calls will be recorded for training purposes…

Your Click is Important to Us (112mins, 86Mb)

• People Like Us – Please Hold
• 180 Gs – I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For (from WFMU/Our Favourite Things DVD)
• DJ Lumpy – Primate Enemy Number One
• Cribs – Wrong Way to Be (podsafe via PMN)
• MGMT – Weekend Wars (from Oracular Spectacular)
• Esau Mwamwaya – Tengazako
• Golden Bug – Barbie’s Back
• Duran Duran Duran – Face Blast (from Planet Mu 200 compilation)
• Teenagers – Feeling Better (from Reality Check)
• Benga – Light Bulb (from Diary of an Afro Warrior)
• Dalek I Love You – Horrorscope
• U-Ziq – Lexicon (from Planet Mu 200 compilation)
• Axwell – I Found U (High Contrast’s After Dark remix – from 12″)
• Utah Saints – Something Good (High Contrast promo mix on Data)
• Aggro1 – Amerie vs The Gorillaz vs Spor
• Spor – The Eyes Have It
• Roger Miller – Chug-a-lug (from 7″)
• Bizy B & Equinox – Merda Style 2004 (from Planet Mu 200 compilation)
• Band Zonder Banaan – Caribbean Disco Show
• Lightspeed Champion – Galaxy of the Lost
• Malcolm Middleton – Week Off
• Microsillon ft. Eugenie Allquezar – This is Not America
• Father Jeremiah McNamara – Bicycle Built For Two (from WFMU)
• Sebastian Tellier – Dixi (from Universe LP)
• Delia Derbyshire – Air
• John Maus – My Whole World is Coming Apart
• Madness – Grey Day (from Seven)
• Foo Fighters – Still (from In Your Honor)
• Phil Retrospector – Elton’s Glasses

Can you pretend children? Let’s pretend we have a real radio show! Or let’s pretend we’re a major podcast which has something beginning with L, yes that’s right, “Listeners”.

And look children, there’s that fucking awful Mr Moyles and Mr Lamb! Do you know what they are doing? Yes there’s a lot of huffing and puffing there late at night in the park. So let’s sing a song:

You and me
Under a tree
G.O.A.T.S.E.

Pretend that we’re dred (75Mb, 100mins)

• Let’s Pretend theme
• MGMT. – Time to Pretend
• Elektrobitch – Guitars are the mindkiller
• Rotfront - Roboter (full)
• World Famous Audio Hacker – Spooky (Arcade Horror Remix)
• Minus Kelvin – I Unknitted it Broken (from CC mixter Remix comp)
• dj lobsterdust – When White Horses Cry
• Fondue Meltdown – I Know you Love Me (FM revox edit)
• Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly – D.A.N.C.E (from NME cover CD)
• Hot Chip – Don’t Dance (from Made in the Dark)
• Celebrity Murder Party – Heavydale
• Meshuggah – Shed (from Catch 33)
• Spor – Hydra (from Warrio Dubz)
• Murderbot – Bloodclot
• Carter USM – The Music that Nobody Likes
• Cribs – Fairer Sex (from the Podsafe Music Network)
• Wedding Present – What did you Last Servant Die Of?
• Magnetic Fields – Too Drunk to Dream
• Malcolm Middleton – Blue Plastic Bags (from the Podsafe Music Network)
• Meshuggah – Mind’s Mirrors (from Catch 33)
• DJ Lance Lockarm – Wouldn’t it be Ecstasy?
• Hot Chip – Whistle for Will (from Made in the Dark)
• Malcolm Middleton – Stay

You might have heard about the fracas here, I wasn’t going to comment until I’d read the article but I found scans here (and Tim Jonze’s response is interesting if you contrast it from what he apparently told the manager).

I remember Mozgate part 1 back in 1992 (?), and felt that the NME was being hypocritical and over harsh over Morrissey wearing a Union Jack (shock horror!) and writing contentious songs like National Front Disco which didn’t make their position clear (but conversely didn’t say ‘Hi I’m Moz and I’m a racist!’ either). He was basically hounded out of the country, a witch hunt. I’m no fan of the BNP, NF, C18 or any right-wing fascist people (I do follow the mantra that the only good fascist is a dead one), but there was a weird feeling that the people chasing after them weren’t exactly spotless or thinking either, doing a sort of Witchfinder General j’accuse almost Monty Pythonesque mobthink.

The recent rematch is less ambiguous, the comments are partly the kind that would make a Tory MP blanche; he is so wrong about immigration it’s not true, but this sense of unease at the NME’s response continues from before.

Why?

Well there is the physician heal thyself argument, until fairly recently NME either hasn’t had a very conspicuous track record in anti-racism since the 1980′s (or the last time they sparred with Moz, although that was a blip); the Love Music Hate Racism has a certain irony after Simon Reynolds revealed in his recent ‘Bring the Noise’ that IPC (owners of both the defunct Melody Maker and NME) ruled that black faces weren’t allowed on the cover – ‘bad for sales’ apparently according to their focus groups. So being against racism is OK, but not if it hurts sales? WTF? Even on the recently Love Music Hate Racism I noticed the few black stars were stuck at the back – coincidence?

Also doesn’t help is that their niching of music coverage to a very restricted demographic – under 23, guitars, indie-rock – means that apart from the few that were on that cover, it is a white mostly middle class boys club. Oh and one of the last times I read it this year they had a review of a new unsigned band called Fucked Up dolled up as dodgy looking NF skinheads. At no point in the review did they call them out on this, or explain. Nice.

The other thing is the bleating of liberal media about these things reminds me of the hypocrisy regarding drug use such as cocaine – IT’S BAD they bleat while showing lurid shots of Amy, Lindsay, Britney and Pete off their bonce but looking so chic with it. It’s a serious issue, and I’m sure some in the media feel passionate and committed 100% to equal rights, fighting racism and phobia – but I get the sense that they feel that way as long as they don’t have to employ those people. I meant how many people at the NME, for example those pictures of the writers they lovingly tout like they are the new pop stars or something, how many are other than white middle class males?

This is not to say that Moz was right in what he said – he was WRONG. Immigration is crucial to what makes London a world class city, and in particular it’s music scene so vibrant; a melting pot of styles, people, influences. Same can be said of other parts of the UK, Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool, Sheffield, Manchester…even places like Bradford get the shout. So it’s sad he’s still banging on about this like it was 1992 or 93 and one of his favourite bands Gene were about to receive the same slightly-hypocritical treatment for a single cover (?) and wreck their careers too. Glad to hear he is no racist though, Love Music Hate Racism is well worth supporting, and I was glad to see NME take part over the last few years…a long way to go though.

If the NME who cried wolf wasn’t so slightly hypocritical in their shouts, I’d believe them as it is I suspect another (faked? overhyped?) drama and hollow claims to empty, trendy beliefs.