The Listening Club - 28th February 2021

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay and keeping safe. Another bright week here in Amsterdam, it really seems like Spring has sprung early (take that, groundhog), however with bright weather comes plenty of lockdown-denying gatherings, so the infection numbers are going up again also. Sigh. Really starting to look like a race against time with the vaccine here, as it's becoming pretty obvious that a growing proportion of folks have had more than enough of being locked down, and as the weather warms, it's going to get harder and harder to keep everyone indoors, whatever the consequences. And so it goes all over the world right now, I'm sure... 

Last Sunday chez #:LC, wor @nessiest was in the chair, delivering a master of Ethiopian Jazz in the shape of Mulatu Astatke's volume in the fine Ethiopiques compilation series, "Vol. 4: Ethio Jazz 1969-1974", which smoothed everyone out just fine. Thanks to Vanessa for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @holette for week-after-next, but first...

Yep, it's last-Sunday-in-the-month again, which means #vortex time, this time a #coversvortex, as someone pointed out the first time we've done one of these for 8 years or so (pretty sure it was one of the first vortex themes back then also). This time it's @akx who has been doing the collecting and assembling, big thanks to him for the effort!

Direct download is here, and the stream is below

See you at 8pm GMT. Bring a bottle.

The Listening Club - 21st February 2021

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay and keeping safe. Amsterdam is in the throes of a weird weather turnaround, as we go from several weeks of sub-zero icing to a week of 15°C with not much in between (and officially the hottest Feb temps here ever). So a bit of unexpected promenading around the city has been in order, even if most shops and bars are still locked down (socially-distant walking-with-a-beer is definitely the Amsterdam thing-du-jour), and today a bit of early spring gardening and general pruning, sweeping and tidying outdoors, and the place is feeling all the better for it....

Also to note that next Sunday is the second #vortex of the year, this time a #coversvortex, which someone pointed out we hadn't had for 7 or 8 years (time, eh? sigh) so please get the upload location from @akx and depostit a couple of cracking cover versions as soon as you can, and we'll boogie down with them next Sunday.

Last week, we had @doctorx34 in the chair, double debuting in fine style with their pick of Battles debut album "Mirrored" which had the assembled grooving in a variety of time signatures. Thanks to Mary for the selection, and for sailing the frisb back across to these shores to @nessiest, who has this to say by way of introduction to tonight's pick...

"I’ve always wanted to listen to this with you lot some Sunday. A cornerstone of its genre by a genius. Assuming most of you know it and won’t mind revisiting, and I’m hoping it might be a discovery for some tonight. 

Get something deep, smokey and soothing to consume, get comfortable (pajamas are a good idea) and let yourself get carried away however you want."

Direct download's here, stream's below:

See you at 8pm GMT.

The Listening Club - 14th February 2021

Greetings folks. Shit, is that the time already? Amazing how fast the day goes sometimes, especially in the middle of a lockdown, with a curfew, in a house surrounded by super slippery ice. Not that any of that has fazed the Dutch, who have been skating up and down the thin iced canals happily, bless 'em.

Last Sunday, chez #LC, @emmaprice was in the chair, with a dose of The Avalanches newie, "We Will Always Love You", which seemed to go down pretty good. Thanks to Emma for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @doctorx34 for their debut pick, and here's their intro...

"How do take your Rock Vicar? Prog, Heavy with Metal, Nu Metal, Cock, with a bit of Roll, how about with a bit of Pop, a smidgen of Grunge, or maybe throw in some Art, what about a dollop of the mighty Krautrock, we also have some Glam or could we interest you in some Math Rock?

In the end Rock is just Rock, in whatever guise it comes in right?...or is it? Just when you think a genre cannae be pushed, pulled, tweaked or evolved beyond its perceived limits some pesky upstart humans come along and laugh in your face and go where you could not think possible. 

Rock made in Protools? NO! I hear u cry but hell yeah! Brimming with a myriad of ideas it pushes at the boundaries and beyond. And one of the things that I love about this album is that sometimes when I listen to it I don't even know if I like it - but I am glad that it exists...and ain't that something...xx "

Okaydoke. Download's here, and the stream's below:

See you 8pm GMT.

The Listening Club - 7th February 2021

Greetings from snowy Amsterdam, as the streets whiten for the first time in a few years, and with sub-zero forecast for the forseeable, it's going to be an icy week here. Will be interesting to see how it affects the cat, who has so far declared himself uninterested in the new cold white thing, and can we get it removed sharpish please?

Last Sunday in #LC land, twas the most excellent #WeirdJanuaryVortex, which lived up to its name in all three ways. Thanks again to @saucer for helming the voyage, and everyone that chipped in tunes! Looking on, we see @EmmaPrice smiling and waving, with this to say...

"Greetings all,

Well 2021 has been an odd year so far. Who had a state organised riot, redditors confounding Wall Street and a parish council meeting being the 'must see' event on their bingo card?

When I look back on 2020 the one thing that brought me consistent joy was music. From DJ's doing late night streams, twitch clubs or just having a bit more time to go delving in the virtual crates of my collection. When all around was a confusing maelstrom, music came through and brought us together.  So tonight, I'm sharing an album that hit me with a sheer sense of joy and wonder and had me dancing round the room from first listen.

During one of the brief periods when we were allowed in the vicinity of other human beings, I ventured out to pick this up on launch day. I was excited to be transported to another time and place and to think of something bigger than our current omnishambles/clusterfuckery.  I wasn't disappointed.

This album will be no surprise to a bunch of you. But I think it's worth a listen."

Okaydoke. Download's here, stream's below:

See you at 8pm GMT.