More Fiat Lux

The first two posts I did were from a handful of Fiat Lux EPs I got. For some reason I never posted the rest of them, so here they are today:



Superfunk Come Back Remixes EP (1999)

"Come Back" was the second single from Superfunk's Hold Up album, and this is the remix version of the 12. I'm partial to Mike 303's 80s/electro-ish take on the track here.



Sexy Kool is Olivier Gauthier. He also produced as Exotica and Star Deluxe, under which names he released a few of the only FL EPs I haven't heard. There's some smooth French shit on this EP.

Sexy Kool Kool Vibrations EP (1999)

MattSoReal on Pimp C


About an hour later, Bun B hit me back with three of the saddest words I’ve ever read in a text message: "Yeah, it’s true."

Eulogy for Pimp C

90s UK DIY part 2

I was trying to track down my favorite Skinned Teen song when I did the initial UK post – no luck. It turns out the record was sitting a few feet away in my girlfriend's collection the whole time, hehe. I'm not sure if this was its first appearance or not, but regardless..



Skinned Teen "Nancy Drew" (from Battle Of The Bands 7" compilation, 1998)

While digging through her records I also found the Heavenly P.U.N.K. Girl 10", which is one of only a handful of records I regret getting rid of. Back in the mid-90s, nearly everyone I knew owned this and it stuck out like a sore thumb amongst all their punk/hardcore/grind records. I didn't realize until now that this isn't a proper EP - just two singles combined for the US market.



Heavenly "P.U.N.K. Girl" (from P.U.N.K. Girl 10", 1993)


I also found the Slampt 4 Track, 4 Track comp, featuring four bands, all recorded on 4-track machines.



Delicate Vomit "Mr. Potatohead" (from 4 Track - 4 Track 7" compilation, 1997)

Speaking of Slampt, the label was run by Pete and Rachel from Avocado Baby, Pussycat Trash and, later, Red Monkey. What I said about Huggybear missing out on the early 00s revisiting angular, rhythmic punk can be said for Red Monkey as well, though in RM's case that sound became popular again right when they were near the end of their run.



Red Monkey "18+" (from Do What You Feel [Feel What You Do] 7", 1997)



Red Monkey "Weight Of Should" (from The Time Is Right 7", 1998)

A few years before Slampt and Red Monkey dissolved, my band at that time opened for RM on one of their US tour stops. They were really amped about the Petty Crime EP they'd released and I think everyone I was with left with a copy. Petty Crime was Layla from Skinned Teen's band, along with Peter Rojas, who recently started RCRD LBL. It's still one of my favorite EPs of the 90s.



Petty Crime "Mathematics"
Petty Crime "Closed Eyes" (both from s/t EP, 1998)

Nowadays, Layla is playing in the San Francisco band Modern Reveries, who sound pretty great and have a demo cd-r available via their myspace.

Around the time of that Red Monkey tour, Troubleman Unlimited and Slampt released a joint compilation of underground bands from the UK and USA, and I picked that one up at the show as well.

Sally Skull "Heaven" (from Taking A Chance On Chances compilation Lp, 1998)

Obviously there are a lot of bands I missed here so I'll probably do additional parts at some point. I might start doing a 70s / 80s version too, so watch for that.

Switch / Bottomless Pit

I caught Switch at Republic last night. I was pretty amped for it and he did a great set of predominantly new tracks, including a Hervé remix of Bucketheads' "The Bomb" (I'd need to hear that one again before commenting, heh).

He didn't drop this one last night and it's not new, but it's new to me and probably the best thing I've heard from him in a while:

Busta Rhymes "Light Your Ass On Fire" (Switch Dub) (2007)

On a completely different tip, I've been caught up listening to the Bottomless Pit album for the last couple weeks. I found out about it via Scratch, but it was actually released back in November. The band features 2/3 of Silkworm, who I regretfully never really checked out, along with the former drummer from Seam, who I loved. Had I heard it last year, the album would definitely have made my best-of-the-year list.



Bottomless Pit "Dogtag" (2007)

Enjoy.

More updates soon, including more UK DIY stuff and many, many recent rips.

R.I.P. Sean Finnegan



Sean Finnegan, drummer for DC hardcore legends VOID, died last week at 43. They weren't the best or most consistent DC band (uh, Potions For Bad Dreams, anyone?) but amongst the people I know they were always a favorite, and their early releases are all killer. Void were much more raw and frantic than any other band of that time, fusing an unconventional guitar style similar to Greg Ginn's with their very loose style of DC hardcore. Like a lot of DC bands their sound was ahead of its time and influenced a lot of bands of the 90s.

Sean Finnegan (of Void) Passes Away At 43

2.4.08

We are sad to announce that Sean Finnegan, the drummer from Void and an original member of the Dischord family, passed away on Wednesday January 30th of an apparent heart attack, he was 43. Sean's family will receive friends Monday 2 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M. at HARRY H. WITZKE'S FAMILY FUNERAL HOME, INC., 4112 Old Columbia Pike, Ellicott City, Maryland. Sean played in Void while they we're active from 1980-1983 and was recently working on the set of the HBO production, "The Wire". An obituary and guest book can be found in the Baltimore Sun. Our thoughts and best wishes go out to Sean's many friends and family members.

In lieu of flowers Sean's family ask that donations may be made to the Fisher House, Walter Reed Hospital , Washington, D.C.
via Dischord



Void "Who Are You?" (from Faith / Void split Lp, 1982, also via Dischord)

Pleased To Meet Me


..it can all be boiled down to this: There have been better bands, louder bands, and drunker bands, but there has never been a better, drunker, louder band than the Replacements, and the second two qualifiers wouldn’t matter one whit without the first.

Great article about my second favorite Replacements album, via Man Without Ties.

Fresh for '08



A new species of mammal has been discovered in the mountains of Tanzania, scientists report.

The bizarre-looking creature, dubbed Rhynochocyon udzungwensis, is a type of giant elephant shrew, or sengi.

The cat-sized animal, which is reported in the Journal of Zoology, looks like a cross between a miniature antelope and a small anteater..


via the BBC