Murder never sounded so good...

A straight-up downtempo banger from Slow Train Soul here, providing an instantly engaging piano loop, a beat that'll make your neck ache, and vocal hooks that will stick in your brain for a long while.

Released in 2004 on Tommy Boy records, i've clearly been sleeping on this for a long while. But, as with many things, better late than never. Make sure you don't sleep any longer and download this track, as it's one of my favourites of the year so far.

Slow Train Soul - In The Black of Night (128) (YSI)

Slowspace

Amazon throws up the relevant info on purchasing the album.

The Monday Chiller #26 - The Cinematic Orchestra...

Some of the more eagle-eyed among you will have noticed a dearth of posts on the Eclectic Hermit in the past few weeks. I wish I could say that my recent hiatus has been down to my constant pursuit of musical perfection and that i'm now able to present to you the most aurally pleasing sounds of the year. However, all i've been doing is working, drinking, planning for trips and most recently, getting into Jazz. More on the Jazz front later.

On the 14th of December i'm off to Switzerland to work as a ski guide for the winter. It's going to be great for me but not so much for the blog, which may well grind to a standstill while i'm away. Before I go i'll try to do as many posts as possible, which are set to include a couple of Q&As with bands that should be on your radar, and some electronica related goodness. Mashed potato anyone?

So for one of the last Monday Chillers here is some Cinematic Orchestra, a group specially bred for the purpose of appearing on this blog and giving the listener nigh-on 7 minutes of uninterrupted meditation. Sit back, turn up the volume, and enjoy a sample of our show.

The Cinematic Orchestra - Wheel Within A Wheel

The track comes from Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Exclusives CD, released in 2004. It's kind of taken me three years to get round to listening to it properly, but now that I have it'll go straight on the stereo when I need something to chill me to the core.

Buy some Cinematic Orchestra
Buy Worldwide Exclusives

Orchestraspace

Tussk Tussk...

There's no need for all this secrecy and subterfuge from Rephlex surrounding The Tuss, everyone knows it's RDJ anyway and it's not like they need to work hard to create interest for new material by Mr James. I suppose if the tunes weren't up to scratch they could have continued the ruse to save face, but the EP Confederation Trough and following LP Rushup Edge (still short at 6 tracks) are simply as good as anything the Twin has ever done. In any guise.

This snippet of a review by Plan B magazine describes the music much better than I could right now:

'Rushup Edge continues the rededication to fast-paced, brain-bruising fun-fun-FUN! shown by the more recent Analords series of releases. There’s plenty of room for simplicity and repetition in music, but these six tracks reinvent themselves every few seconds, constantly refusing to get bored with one rhythm or melody. Every sound is fresh, as though each juicy synth wiggle and crisp beat were harvested from the circuit board in peak condition, Man from del Monte style. Each successive track piles on the layers, until ‘Death Fuck’ sweeps an avalanche through the speakers, leaving ‘Goodbye Rute’ in a realm of glacial relative calm.'

Check it.

From Confederation Trough:

The Tuss - Alspacka (Z-Share)

I especially dig the sample of the sound that's made when you clack your tongue off the roof of your mouth. Inspired.

From Rushup Edge:

The Tuss - Rushup I Bank 12 (Z-Share)
The Tuss - Death Fuck Mental Beats (Z-Share)

Or buy both from Boomkat if you're not down with the whole 'Amazon = world domination' thing.

Get deeper into the enigma and find other songs here, here and here. (The last two look the same but are different).

I'm using Z-Share for this cos fileden has just about filled it's bandwith boots for the month and will be resetting in 6 days.

The Monday Chiller #3...

Venetian Snares - This Bitter Earth

Argh i've let it slip again, the Sunday became the Monday and now the Tuesday, but to make amends i'm posting a certified chiller of the highest order.

Jazz. The word alone used to inspire fear in my very bones and leave me trembling in the corner muttering about trumpets and horrible free-form screeching that tends to go nowhere, but no more. Well no, I still dislike the genre as a whole but this Snares track is like some sort of deformed breakbeat jazz with proper melody, good structure and a great breakdown that hits you around 1.18 and sends the listener into a jazz trance for the rest of the track.

Restrained sampling and cheeky snares make this a highlight of Aaron Funk's career to date.

He plays the Glade festival in Berkshire in late July. Be there.

Nice...