The Listening Club - 4th August 2024

Salutations folks,

Hope you're all doing good. Summer finally in full flow here in Amsterdam, which is pleasing the locals, especially Hype Cat, who is happily spending some good long days napping in the nearby undergrowth, occasionally reaching out a paw to catch a passing mouse. It's definitely his favourite time of year for sure, bless.

In equivalently chill mode, last Sunday we joined together for a #RelaxationVortex, which saw a fine variety of sounds that soothe, not all mellow either. Thanks to everyone for chipping in tunes, and to @akx for blending everything together.

Back to regular programming, we see @EastVanHalen holding the frisb, with this to say by way of introduction to tonight's pick:

"Good summer Sunday afternoon/evening/etc everyone,

For this week’s LC pick, I knew I wanted an album that feels just right for those warm, languid days that are deepening into late summer, and I remembered this - something I had thought about playing before, but which had dropped off my radar until I was recently reminded by…a meme. Don’t @ me. I also first heard this artist because they used one of the songs on this album in a commercial - I’m not proud, just glad to have heard the guy, and that he’s getting paid :) He’s also been sampled by pretty much everybody, so if you haven’t given his work a spin you still might hear something you recognize.

So sit back, get some languid funky vibes going, and enjoy. For #drinkingclub, make it long and cool."

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

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

The Listening Club - 28th July 2024

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing good. Another summer-ish week here, which is very pleasant, also enjoying as Amsterdam and the Netherlands in general slows down a bit; historically August is the month when residents and denizens go off on holiday, leaving the city much mellower for a few weeks (well, outside the touristy areas anyway). Plenty of stuff still going on though, as it's Pride this weekend, Dekmantel has 10 days of DJs booked, and there's that big sporty thing happening down in France too which is only a few hours away. Not bad at all, really, eh?

Last Sunday we had @FaberFedor discussing generational culture shifts using "Enconium: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin" as his example, which got the assembled pondering and getting down in equal measure, I'd say. Thanks to FF for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to @EastVanHalen, who has an extra week to ponder because...

Yeah, #vortex time. And this time a #RelaxationVortex has been called for, so @akx has put his mixing boots on and merged the collected receipts into a sweet sweet blend. Thanks to everyone who chipped in!

Download's here (right click, save as), stream's below:

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

The Listening Club - 21st July 2024

Greetings folks,

Hope all is going well for you all. A pretty soggy week here in Amsterdam, reprieved by several lovely hot days late in the week but still not quite the level of Summer that I'd prefer. Of course I'm being demanding, but I'm on sabbatical, dammit, and nothing ventured and all that, eh?

Next week = end of month, so #vortex time again - please raise your theme suggestions this evening, thanks!

Last Sunday saw @ogili seeding the dancefloor with the classic "Motown Chartbusters Vol.1", which got the assembled shimmying and shaking like there was no tomorrow. Thanks to Oliver for the pick, and for doing a solid job of making sure the frisb landed well, in this case into the hands of @faberfedor, who's here with tonight's intro...

"Despite appearances, I'm not a Baby Boomer. 'Nam wasn't my war; Kennedy wasn't my president; the Beatles weren't my band. I identified more with GenX but I didn't quite fit in there either.

I recently learned there is a generation between the Boomers and GenX: [Generation Jones]. We were the original latch-key kids. Riding Schwinns with banana seats.  Staying out till the streetlights came on. Those kids from "Stranger Things"? Yeah, that was us. Without the Upside Down, fortunately.

I'm not sure if it's because I've found a cohort, I'm getting old,  or what but I'm digging out old albums, listening with older ears, and appreciating them even more.

Which brings us to tonight's selection. It's not a "rare gem" from myhalcyon days or anything like that but I think y'all like it. Y'all will immediately recognize what this is from the opening strains, I'm sure. 

Unless there really was an Upside Down."

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

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

The Listening Club - 14th July 2024

Greetings,

Hope you're all doing well and good. Bit of a week, eh? Focussing on the positives, England are back in the Euros final again, and no doubt hoping for a better result than last time - not that I am a massive football fan, but I like a good match as much as anyone, and this should hopefully be one of those, so forgive me whilst I attempt to multitask here and there later this evening...

Last Sunday we had @eryngium in the chair, deliveing St.Vincent's latest release "All Born Screaming", which rocked the assembled in a wholly positive way, I'd say. Thanks to Erin for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to South London, where @ogili is waiting with tonight's intro...

"Well. This has been difficult.  I would say the dog’s ate my excuse, but we have a cat, and he’s just giving me a hard stare.

Was going to go with Happa’s excellent Baesianz Mixtape 002.  A spacy journey into Persian music by an Anglo-Iranian producer who started out as a Dubstep producer but has morphed into something more experimental.  But that’s only on soundcloud, and I’ll link it afterwards.

But then thought, nah, f*ck it.  Let’s go for a big hitter   A compilation sure, but of songs by a songwriting team and backing band which have had an extraordinary influence on music post 1960. 

You know them, you may love ‘em, you may hate ‘em.   But being given an album by one of the artists on here at the age of 14 or so hugely influenced my music tastes. 

Oh and I’ve added on at the end my favourite track from this label, which is not on this comp."

Download's here, stream's below:

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

The Listening Club - 7th July 2024

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing well and good. yes it's @kleptones back from the fields and mostly recovered, I think - A fine time was had by all, since you ask, and 99.9% dry and not too boiling too, which is as good as you can get really. Looks like Amsterdam saved the rain up for us as it's been grotty and showery all this week but as I'm in a party retro-reverie mood, the weather can do one for a change. Also some politics and football has been happening, both of which (at least for now) seem to be of a reasonably positive outcome for stuffy old England, and I think the last time both of those happened together I wasn't even born, so that's something to gently reflect on, I think...

Last Sunday, while I was getting drunk in a field shaking a leg to some vicious jungle, @JimMcCauley was taking care of business here, and also making fine work of the annual #livevortex, which sounded very good to these ears on the replay, so big thanks extended to everyone for chipping in tunes, and Jim for wrangling the assemblage into a smooth flow.

Looking back over the fence, we see @Eryngium clutching the frisb with this to say by way of imtroduction to tonight's pick...

"I recently read one of those studies that circulate every few years, claiming that most people stop seeking out new music after their mid-thirties, preferring instead to keep listening to the familiar music of their teens and twenties. The fact that we’re all here means I don’t think that applies to anyone reading this, but it inspired me to pick a 2024 album for this week’s selection, and to continue my effort to listen to new-to-me artists in general. This artist has been releasing albums for more than 15 years, but I only really started listening to them in the last few years."

Right then. Download's here and the stream's below:

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

The Listening Club - 30th June 2024

How do, listening chums! @JimMcCauley here, holding the fort while @kleptones is off at some sort of arts festival that's happening not very far from me. Looks like they're having good weather for it, at any rate. And this is one of those rare Sundays when I'm not tied up with some sort of theatrical shenanigans; won't be long until I'm mostly booked up with rehearsals until January.

Last week I was at a production meeting for a play I'm not even very involved with (someone asked very nicely if I could help), so I missed @SimonLandmine's pick of Frenchy And The Punk's 2010 album, 'Happy Madness'. Seemed to do the job for the assembled, though, so thanks to Simon for the pick and for scoring a hit with the frisbaton first time. And of course @eryngium has an extra week to consider her pick because...

That's right, it's the 2024 Live Vortex! 19 tracks, lovingly assembled and all that. Got to tell you, this one's a bit bootleggy in places; as well as the inevitable gain adjustments along the way I've had to break out the EQ a few times, but I'm giving it a good listen-to as I type and yeah, I think it's been worth the effort.

Download's here, or stream it below (assuming I don't forget to actually publish my upload this time).

Catch you at 8PM! GMT!

The Listening Club - 23rd June 2024

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing good. Feeling a bit heatwavey here in Amsterdam, which is nice as we're about to head off to the Somerset fields for a bit of the old tent, booze and music life, and the weather there doesn't seem that bad either (fingers crossed it holds out for the duration).

And yes, next week, whilst we're away will be the #LC annual summer (well it is on the western hemisphere where most of us are, afaik) #livevortex, helmed this year by @JimMcCauley - many advance thanks extended to them for taking care of things in my absence. So what we need from you sometime soon is one or two fine live performance recordings - dropbox details will appear on the mastodons later today for your selections.

Looking back at last week, we found @Saucer following up thematically from the previous week's pick, but under sad circumstances as we enjoyed Françoise Hardy's "If You Listen" from 1972, recorded in London with some fine (yet sadly anonymous) English musicians. Thanks to Mr S for the pick, and for valiantly getting the frisb across to @SimonLandmine, who's here with tonight's intro...

"As ever, on receipt of the frisbaton, a trawl through my increasingly-misnamed .txt shortlist was required. This one has been on there for an indeterminate while (with a somewhat inexplicable note

next to it saying "blame @wojsvenwoj", although I no longer have any idea why - I can only presume it was relevant when I wrote it!) This is an act I've seen live a couple of times, and this was their fourth

album, although opinion seems divided whether it came out before or after a change of name. (Wikipedia thinks it was after the name-change, but the sleeve on my CD disagrees, so it looks like it

might have been released under both.) In any case, the lineup remained the same throughout, it was only the name that changed. This album is out of print in either guise, regardless, but they're still going

quite a while later, occasionally getting some critical notoriety, and have another album out soon.

Drinking club recommendations are probably either a rich red ... or a warm can of weak lager."

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

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