Historically Tross were the camp followers of German mercenary regiments of the 16th century, mainly women, wives and children, who carried baggage, laboured, brought the supplies to the soldiers and performed various support roles. From Tross we get the word dross.
Tross is the name of a band signed to Gothenburg’s Hoga Nord Rekords, home to many interesting artists and records. Tross’s new album, The Overview Effect, is no exception. Album opener Synthesis sets the tone, an instrumental inspired by the West German groups of the 1970s. From there on in over the course of ten tracks they delve deeper, exploring dance rhythms and spaced out guitars, always light on their feet and looking forward.
Another month, another run round the block with Mr Weatherall, with plenty in this month’s episode to excite and enthrall. It sounds like some of these unreleased Woodleigh Research Facility tracks aren’t going to stay unreleased for too long.
Here’s the tracklist…
TONY CONRAD + GENESIS BREYER P-ORRIDGE – DEMILITARIZED ZONE
KAVUS TORABI – FOLD 4
DIE WILDE JAGD – STANGENTANZ
TROSS – PYRAMID
JESSE – PORTALS
HENRIK RYLANDER – 2-7-4-8-8-2
DOLLKRAUT – BONNIE SAID OTTO REMIX
WARDEN CA – ELEMENTAL
CHRIS CARTER – BLISSTERS
SCORTILLA – YHW
ECHOPHASE – CONTINENTAL SHIFT
EYES OF OTHERS – LUST FOR UNREQUITED DUB (SORDID SOUND SYSTEM REMIX)
WOODLEIGH RESEARCH FACILITY – UNTITLED
PRIMAL SCREAM – KILL ALL HIPPIES TWO LONE SWORDSMEN MIX NO 1
Listening to and posting the rather excellent new song from Wooden Shjips, Staring At The Sun, made me go back to some of their other releases. I dug out their 2011 album West, a noisy, psychedelic San Franciscan monster, only seven songs long, but what a stretched out, trippy, echo laden seven songs they are- not just monotonous one chord grooves either but beautiful repetition coupled with melodies and riffs. Ripley’s monotone, numb, half asleep vocals float over the top. Perfect driving music I’ve rediscovered. Black Smoke Rise was the album’s opening song/vibe…
At this point it is worth spending some time being reminded of Andrew Weatherall’s superb remix of Crossing (also from West), one of a series of remixes that showed that back at the star of the decade he was properly back in the game. His remix of Crossing has a kind of grimy grandeur feel to it, San Fran via East London.
And as an bonus weekend extra, a couple of years ago Wooden Shjips released a limited edition two track 12″ on white vinyl, one side being a suitably stoned cover of Serge Gainsbourg’s Contact, eight minutes of fuzz and awe.
I’ve just realised this has been a week of posts made up entirely about new releases. It wasn’t planned that way, it just happened, but we may as well finish ahead of the weekend with another one. The Tracers is the new single from Johnny Marr, blazing a trial ahead of his new album Call the Comet. Johnny has put out two solo album sin the last few years. The first, The Messenger, came out in 2013 and had some good songs on it, Upstarts especially. It was accompanied by some gigs- the one I attended at The Ritz sticks in the memory as he ploughed his way through his back catalogue (The Smiths and Electronic) as well as a cover of I Fought The Law. The second solo album didn’t make the same impact, some of the songs were OK but a few were a little forgettable and but it didn’t really achieve lift off.
The new one, thankfully, sounds like a step forward again- a rush of guitars, a driving bassline, some judiciously added ‘woo hoo’s’ and a sense of urgency. Marr seems to have gone back to the music that preceded The Smiths, the post-punk groups of the early 80s. The video looks like it was filmed up on the moors above Manchester where Yorkshire and Lancashire meet, a bit bleak and deserted (and with plenty of pylons).
The Orb have a new single out ahead of an album in June, titled Doughnuts Forever- which makes it seem a bit throwaway- and the track seemed a bit lightweight at first but repeated listens have revealed its charms. It works its magic slowly, bringing the bass in over piano chords, then heading into Avalanches territory.
The Orb are celebrating their 30th birthday this year, Alex Paterson and Thomas Fehlman and whoever else they can get into the studio with them. For this album, No Sounds Are Out Of Bounds, Alex has brought together a stellar cast including Youth, Roger Eno, Hollie Cook and Jah Wobble all of which makes it look like it might be worth looking out for.
Personally I think doughnuts are overrated. Even Randy’s.
Flash Atkins is here with some uplifting, locked groove, slinky, tech-house, and there’s some lovely soulful vocals from Charlie Sinclair- waiting for that hit. Night time music.
The single comes with a remix by Hardway Bros, Sean Johnston bringing the buzzing bass to the fore, stretching it out and sending it into sci fi techno territory.
If you like modular synth sounds and repetitive grooves and techno- and I do- then you might find something to enjoy in this collaboration between Carl Craig and Klauss, an Argentinian electro-acoustic ensemble who have been making music in Buenos Aires since the 1980s. Two tracks have been released on Planet E, Carl Craig’s legendary Detroit electronic label. Momentum runs to over 12 minutes, a looped synth part setting it going and staying there throughout as the tension builds, some oscillation and a big kick drum. Momentum was the result of an improvised jam and in some ways it sounds like it- but there’s plenty to enjoy here, in the sounds and the loops and propulsion.
Dimanche is on this year’s Shadow People album by French duo The Liminanas. It’s well worth getting hold of if you haven’t already- ten tracks recorded at Anton Newcombe’s studio, taking in Velvet’s fuzz and rhythms, thumping drums, sunglasses and black leather and a guest spot for Peter Hook’s bass. Dimanche, with guest vocals from Bertrand Belin, has been remixed by fellow Frenchman Laurent Garnier and it is very good indeed, Garnier adding some clubby dynamics, looping some parts, drawing out the ringing feedback and a sticking a massive kick drum and snare underneath. I think this came out on 12″ for Record Store Day.
I was channel surfing the other night and discovered the Sy Fy channel, somewhere I don’t think I’d been before. I became distracted by Escape From New York, already about 45 minutes in, but the combination of John Carpenter’s synth score and Snake Plissken’s mission to find the President in Manhattan, a walled in maximum security prison in the year 1997, kept me from switching over for a while. Escape From New York is always a joy. It occurred to me that if real life had intervened Snake would have been rescuing Bill Clinton.
It put me in mind of this 2014 release by Maurice and Charles, a chunky, moody, acid funk track peppered with dialogue from the film along with some very Byrne-Eno guitar riffs and rhythms.
This sudden burst of decent weather- sunshine, in April, uh?!- demands something sunny and suited to beer garden/cafe bar terrace/ghettoblaster in the park/beach at sundown. This 1983 track from Italian drummer/singer Tullio De Piscopo is ideal. It’s a crossover record- Italian disco, a minor hit in the UK in 1987, a record played by Ron Hardy and Frankie Knuckles in Chicago house clubs, by Alfredo in Ibiza, at Shoom and Phuture, by Theo Parrish and at countless other broadminded establishments.
Bagging Area 