The Listening Club - 21st April 2024

Salutations folks,

Hope you're all doing well and good. An up and down week here in Amsterdam, some things good, some not so good, as befits a week of sunshine and showers, alongside chilly temps thanks to a chilly northerly, which fortunately looks like warming up a bit before Kings Day (current forecast 17°C and partly cloudy, which is fine by me!). Anyhoo, looking forward to seeing folks on Saturday for that, and the whole weekend in general, bring it on!

Speaking of which, next Sunday is End-Of-Month, so make ready with your #vortex suggestions please!

Last Sunday we had @ThatNewSound in the chair for their debut pick, and that turned out to be Pinback's "Blue Screen Life" from 2001, which went down mighty fine with the assembled. Thanks extended for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @aqidraco for tonight's pick, and here's the intro...

"9784 is the number of scrobbles of this artist at the top of my most listened to songs list on Last.Fm. 

It’s time to recognize the importance this artist had for me over the past decade plus. I probably discovered them in the late 2000s. Even if I haven’t listened as much to them in the recent years, it is hitting all the feels anytime I do. 

It has been quiet around them, the last record came out in 2016. It made it to number 12 on the German charts. I’m happy to report that they are currently on tour in Germany and there is buzz about a new record out there. 

Join me on this nostalgic electronics trip with your favorite drink from the 2010s."

Right then. Download's here, stream's below:

See you 20:00 BST (GMT+1) tonight.

The Listening Club - 11th April 2024

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing good. Another little heatwave blowing across Amsterdam, so, for the second weekend in a row, it's been clear and warm and all that that entails. The lilac and wisteria out the front are reacting accordingly also, which is grand. Crossing fingers that it maintains the rhythm (and the blossoms), as it's Kings Day in two weeks time, and you know what that means...

Last Sunday saw @corin_ja in the chair, firing out a classic of the slightly-lesser-known category, in the shape of Joan Armatrading's eponymous debut album from 1976, which got the assembled folks grooving and swooning satisfactorily, I'd say. Thanks to Corin for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to @ThatNewSound, who's right here with the intro to their debut selection...

"Well... That was as hard as I expected. I listened to a lot of music this week trying to find the right album for a debut pick. It felt like picking the soundtrack to the first 10 seconds of meeting someone for the first time. It took a while to realise I was entirely missing the point by trying to find something everyone else would like so here is something I like. Probably my favourite album by probably my favourite artist. It's an album I found accidentally in my late teens and instantly fell in love with and a band I wish more people knew about. I would love to hear if anyone knows the band or album, and also love to hear if anyone can identify the sample on track 3! I hope you enjoy it.

If you're listening with a beverage the only suggestion has to be your favourite craft IPA."

Right then, download's here, stream's below:

See you 20:00 BST (GMT+1) tonight for playback.

The Listening Club - 7th April 2024

Salutations folks,

Hope you're doing good. Freakishly warm weather here in Amsterdam, as a slim wave of saharan heat has travelled all the way through Europe up to us, providing a rather lovely weekend, if a little odd for the time of year. Still, the denizens (and tourists) ain't complaining, that's for sure. So, fortified by some prime early-season stoop-sitting and treat-consumption, we continue...

Last Sunday was a rare thing, Easter Sunday and also last Sunday of the month, so a #ComebackVortex made good sense, and who better to welcome back to do the assembly than @JimMcCauley, and the result? A multitude of interpretations, and some mighty fine sounds indeed - thanks to everyone for chipping in.

Looking back we find @Corin_JA holding the frisb with this to say by way of introduction to tonight's pick...

"The customary blurb. For this week’s Listening Club I have chosen an album that I really like and that I want to share with you all. The artist was a big deal in their heyday but I feel is currently under-appreciated. I must have first heard them when I was a kid, and I wasn’t that bothered back then, but returning to their work more recently I have found the music comforting and absorbing and clever. I particularly like the lyrical narratives, little stories that are played out in a number of these tracks. The musicianship is also excellent, and the production is superb - apologies if this crappy MP3 doesn’t convey that. So, I invite you to sit back, relax and enjoy this record. Pour a glass of wine, if you take it, but maybe add a little water."

Download's here, stream's below:

See you 20:00 BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 31st March 2024

Greetings folks,

Happy Easter to you all, however you wish to celebrate it, with chocolate and bunnies, getting together with family, or just taking advantage of a long weekend. All of which have been happening here and keeping me occupied, so as the clock is now ticking loudly, let's get on...

Last Sunday saw @FaberFedor in the chair, sending us back in time for a tribute to even further back in time in the shape of 1993's "Stone Free: A Tribute To Jimi Hendrix", which got everyone grooving and rocking out like a Saturday night down at The Bronze. Thanks to FF for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @corin_ja who has an extra week to ponder because..

...yep, first Easter Sunday vortex ever? No one has said otherwise so let's say it is. And as the returning mixmaster @JimMcCauley suggested appropriately, a #ComebackVortex it is. As to what that means, there's only one way to find out...

Download's here, stream's below:

See you at 20:00 BST (GMT+1) clocks have changed here - check your local timezones carefully!

The Listening Club - 24th March 2024

Salutations folks,

Hope you're doing good. Spring continues to grab hold of Amsterdam, sending a weekend of sunshine and showers our way, which means opening of windows and clearing out, cleaning up and general removal of winter grot, nothing to do with my mother visiting next weekend, honest... hem hem. Speaking of which, twill be Easter Sunday next time, and also a #vortex which I don't think has happened before (expect to be corrected on that stat) so discussion on a theme to follow tonight, I'm sure...

Last Sunday it was me, @kleptones, deeply chilling in my preferred style with James Blackshaw's 2007 album "The Cloud Of Unknowing", which had the desired effect on most of the attendees. All that remained was for a quick fling of the frisb across to @faberfedor, who's here with tonight's intro....

"During LC Anxiety Week, I came up with three great selections.

I tossed all of them at the last minute.

I randomly selected something out of The Box.

I'm wondering what else is in The Box!"

Well then, download's here, stream's below:

See you 20:00 GMT tonight (daylight-saving hoo-hah may apply, be aware).

The Listening Club - 17th March 2024

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing good. More spring signs across the city as blossom appears here and there, and a general spread of buds on the wisteria and lilac has appeared around the outside of the house, which is very welcome. Also with the seasonal change comes the occasional flurry of lost-looking tourists squinting at their phone-maps and trying to figure out where the hell they are. All as it should be really,

Last Sunday @EastVanHalen was in the chair, spinning soulful Egyptian sounds in the shape of Al Massrieen's "Modern Music", a compilation of 70s & 80s tracks put out in 2017 by the esteemed Habibi Funk label, which got everyone grooving most effectively, I'd say. Many thanks to Steph for the pick and for sailing the frisb across to, me @kleptones, so it's time to go all italic for tonight's intro...

"...right then. 

I deliberately left tonight's pick to the last minute, as I knew we were heading out to see Underworld last night, which would definitely influence what I wanted to pick tonight. And so, unsurprisingly after having had my senses seriously pummeled for a few hours, tonight's pick is a somewhat gentler contrast to help soothe those jangled senses, and the inevitable hangover, natch.

I'm surprised I've never picked this artist before (had to go and check the list to be sure) as their music has been a regular listen ever since I first discovered them over 15 years ago, but there you go. 

I think also this is the first time someone has picked a solo instrumental album for #LC, but I'll probably be proved wrong by someone. I'm sure there are similar musicians dotted around the world (you may know of one or two), but in this instance the discovery happened to be a reasonably local person (from Hastings, not far from my old home in Brighton), which allowed me the opportunity to see them perform close-to-home several times in appropriately intimate environments.

As usual I'm reluctant to say much more, other than to warn that this is a rather deep and spacious listen, so feel free to get comfortable in advance - you may even nod off, which is fine - I'm really not expecting the hashtag chat to be super lively either, although as always, you never know..

The album dates from 2007, but it's a little short, so I've attached a bonus track from their following album at the end, partially to extend the mood, and partially because the track in question is really beautiful, so consider it a pre-attched after-party tune.

Hope you enjoy!"

Okidoke, download's here, stream's below:

See you at 20:00 GMT tonight!

The Listening Club - 10th March 2024

Hey folks,

Hope you're doing good. Back in Amsterdam after a spontaneous soujourn to Prague last weekend, where the local beer and wine continues to flow deliciously and the sausages, goulash and dumplings do a grand job of soaking it all up. Back in Amsterdam there are plenty signs of an early spring, as buds and blossom appear around the neighbourhood, and the sun pokes its head out for the first time in god-knows-how-long, which is all very well and good, it must be said.

Whilst we were returning from the above, last Sunday @woj was in the chair, rocking and a souling with his pick of Barrence Whitfield & The Savages "Glory", which seemed to go down pretty damn well. Thanks to Woj for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @EastVanHalen, who's here with tonight's intro...

"I’ve been feeling weirdly stuck lately - busy with good work, grateful for friends and family, but treading water elsewhere. After many years of activism I’ve become used to fighting through hard situations and hard times, but the past few years have been heavy with many things, not least with the awareness that a lot of the 'good guys' - and the parts of activism that circle hungrily around power - aren’t so good at all. 

So it was happy luck to come across a comrade’s writing about his own feelings of being stuck, and about how he’s been finding his way back to hope. “[This artist] tells us, that even though things are really hard, seem hopeless, and you don’t see a way forward—the sun rises in the morning and calls to us: 'Ebda’ Men Gedid!' (Start from the Beginning!)" This comrade is from Egypt, the songs are in Arabic, I knew nothing about this artist, but it’s been cool to start exploring. And it has me thinking about what starting from the beginning looks like in my own traditions.   

In case you’re interested, here’s the blog post that got me (and us) here (spoiler alert!)"

Right then, download's here, stream's below:

See you 20:00 GMT, watch out for daylight-saving changes in other time zones!