The Music Fugitive

 

When most people hear the name David Janssen, they usually think of the American film & television actor best known for his starring role as Dr. Richard Kimble in the television series The Fugitive. But there is another renowned DJ.

 

 

This David Janssen is probably better known around these parts as Ted the Loaf, half of the often featured Renaldo & the Loaf. Renaldo & the Loaf are an obscure English musical duo comprised of pathologist David Janssen & architect Brian Poole (Renaldo Malpractice). They met while in school & starting in the late 70s made experimental music that defied description. While on holiday in San Francisco they gave a tape to one of The Residents. The Residents were suitably impressed. Shortly thereafter they made an album for Ralph Records called Songs for Swinging Larvae which is known as one of the strangest records of all time.

When Renaldo & the Loaf ceased working together in 1986, David stopped making music for the next 20 years. A reunion with his former musical partner in July 2006 led to his reconnection with music. After living as a non-musician for 20 years, David now works with sound samples & a PC.

The Darkening Scale is one of the numerous solo music projects of David Janssen. First off we have Hydrogen Kaleidoscope. The title comes from a conversation Janssen had with a friend some years back. They were talking about a news item regarding the Large Hadron Collider. Janssen’s friend referred to it as the ‘Hydrogen Kaleidoscope’. David thought that it was such a wonderful malapropism that he filed it away for future use as either a song or album title.

The Darkening Scale – Hyrdogen Kaleidoscope, self-released, 2010.
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Tracklist –

The Digital Larynx I

Dog Leg Army

A Cankered Lightness

Discordant Smog

Riding the Bull Home (feat. Sylvie Walder – piano)

Doberman Newsgirl

A Finger Pointing at the Moon

Lyric Poetry of the Useful Zebra

No Finger, No Moon

Timid Cowslip

Arable Rabbi Pt. 1 & 2

The Digital Larynx II

Secondly is a Darkening Scale remix project entitled Stuck Bad. It’s a remix of the Duck Stab album by his friends & label-mates The Residents. (I switched the track order to exactly match Duck Stab. Sorry David.

The Darkening Scale – Stuck Bad, self-released, 2011.

Tracklist –

Continental Sop (Constantinople)

Sexier, Arresting Goat (Sinister Exaggerator)

Bake Sore Toe (The Booker Tease)

Boulder Buses (Blue Rosebuds)

Hugging Salon (Laughing Song)

Acid Ash Bed (Bach is Dead)

Had Visions, Bless (Elvis & his Boss)

You figure it out,

NØ

Lung Leg Sibling

This post goes out to a great friend & fellow Taurus, Glaswegian Felix Natal…who like the Phoenix of mythology has risen from the ashes. Brother Ib, this one’s for you.

 

 

 

The original Lung Leg was transgressive cinema star Elizabeth ‘Lisa’ Carr. After appearing in Richard Kern's You Killed Me First (1985), Fingered (1986), & Worm Movie (1985), she dropped out of sight until she reappeared in the mid 2000s & has appeared in several movies, Sewer Baby (2005 with Tiny Tim & most recently in Jon Springer’s The Hagstone Demon (2011).

 

Lung Leg's acting talent was often oveshadowed by the intense & immense rage she brought to the screen. Director Richard Kern describes her as "scary".

Lung Leg, the band, was an indie band from Glasgow, formed in 1994. They disbanded in 1999. They were known for a sparsely recorded, stop-start music in the C86 riot grrrl vein. LungLeg was arguably one of the cutest bands to come out of Scotland. Along with their Sesame Sleaze Street guitar riffs, the original all-female roster provided a vocal styling that was a combination of gang vocals teemed with a tiny touch of melody, resulting in a childlike innocence of minimal, guitar-based indie pop that was both angsty & bubbly at the same time.

 

The original line-up of Jane Egypt, Annie Spandex, Jade Green, & Mo Mo Quinn released two EPs in 1994 & 1995 respectively, both of which were "single of the week" in the Melody Maker. Here is their initial release.

 

Lung Leg – The Negative Delinquent Autopsy, Piao! 02, 1994.
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Side 1 –

Punk Pop Travesty

Milk & Water

Eek!

Anatomy of a Dolly Bird

Side 2 –

Secret

Dirty Plotte

Friends

Enjoy,

NØ

4-20

When I was re-upping Singers & Players - Leaps & Bounds the other day, I realized I hadn’t yet posted up Revenge of the Underdog. Remedying that right here right now. Nothin’ much else to say, but On-U Sound…Dub.

Here Singers & Players are: Bim Sherman, Neville ‘Jah Woosh’ Beckford, Lizard, & Prince Far I – vocals; ‘Crucial’ Tony Phillips – guitar & bass; Keith ‘Lizard’ Logan – bass; Carlton ‘Bubblers’ Ogilvie & Nick ‘Housmous Mouse’ Plytas – keyboards; Lincoln ‘Style’ Scott – drums; & Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah – percussion.

Singers & Players – Revenge of the Underdog, On-U Sound On-U LP 11, 1982.
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Side A –

Dungeon

Merchant Ship

Jah Army Band

Too Much Work Load

Prodigal Son

Follower

Side B –

Water the Garden

Resolution / Resolution (part 2 / version 2)

Thing Called Love (Don’t Fight)

Cha-Ris-Ma

On-U,

NØ

302 km/h

“If you're going to play Jai Alai, you gotta be a bad motherfucker, but if you're the best at Jai Alai - if you're a savant at playing Jai Alai you gotta be a reeeeaaaallllllllly bad motherfucker.” sez Ralph Darden.

Ralph Darden is a really bad mother. Aside from his interests in jiu-jitsu sport-fighting & maintaining his alter ego DJ Major Taylor, Chicagoan Ralph Darden's main focus is fronting reggae dub-rock trio The Jai Alai Savant, which was formed in Philadelphia in 2003. The Savants include Darden as vocalist & guitarist along with bassist Dan Snyder & drummer Michael Bravine. The original line-up was Darden, bassist Mike Ali, & drummer Jeremy Gewertz.

 Darden was the first DJ to do genre-less dj nights in Philly with his long time friends from those days including Diplo, Low Budget, Amanda Blank, & Spank Rock among other notables. According to Diplo: “Wow ... well ... Major Taylor (Ralph) was one of the djs/musicians in Philly that inspired Hollertronix ... he's like one of the true sources of that party.”

The first The Jai-Alai Savant EP Thunderstatement was put out on The Mars Volta’s Omar Rodriguez' label Gold Standard Lab in 2005. It is nearly impossible to define the sound of The Jai-Alai Savant, but their punk-rock meets dub-reggae blend is certainly very indicative of Darden's mile-a-minute personality & unique musical roots.

On Thunderstatement, The Jai-Alai Savant is: Ralph Darden – vocals & guitar; Mike Ali – bass; & Jeremy Gewertz, with additional help from Damon Locks – vocals on “Diary”; Brian Sokel & Bryan Lynch – guitars; & Damien Thompson – percussion.

The Jai-Alai Savant – Thunderstatement, Gold Standard Laboratories GSL 114, 2005.
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Tracklist –

Scarlett Johansson Why Don’t You Love Me

Thunderstatement

Diary of the Mass Trappist (Rawar version)                                                                                       Murder ‘Pon the Dance Hall (part I)

Sugar Free

Enjoy,

NØ

He was a Knockout Artist

 

 

I’ve been on a Harry Crews jag lately. I’m deep into heavy anticipation. A friend of mine is sending me a 1972 Morrow edition of Car by HC. I've been wanting to read it fot quite some times. Though it gets mixed responses, it's from 1972, sixteen years prior to The Knockout Artist, & I like my Crews raw. Plus its about a guy who wants to eat a car, so...

 

 

 

So I’ve been re-reading some past hits. I started with Celebration, my least favorite FAVORITE.

 

Then I hit up All We Need of Hell.

 

Now I’m reading Scar Lover. Nearly tied with my favorite Harry Crews. Deeply Southern gothic.

 

Next I’ll be hitting my fave The Knockout Artist.

 

 

Harry Eugene Crews should be around still. With the bacon craze in full swing, Crazy Crews from Bacon County, Georgia (March 28, 2012 R.I.P.) he be more crisp than ever.

 

 

& so to be in sync with the read-a-mania, I thought it apropos to be listening to Lydia Lunch, Kim Gordon, & Sadie Mae as Harry Crews, the band.

 

A short lived project created by these female post punk heavy weights. Harry, the writer, was their muse. They made much of his themes, words, & ideas. Their music has been most appropriate in capturing the mood of Crews’ writing in their bombastic sound. Harry Crews toured Europe from September 1 - 24, 1988. The album was recorded live at the Mean Fiddler, London & in Vienna, Austria by Vienna Radio."

 

Harry Crews - Naked in Garden Hills, Big Cat ABB 21, 1990.

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Side A –

About the Author

Man Hates a Man

Distopia

You’re It

Gospel Singer

Knockout Artist

(She's in a) Bad Mood

Side B –

The Way Out

Bring Me Down

Car

S.O.S.

Orphans

Enjoy,

NØ

More Cowbell

Exuma, the Obeah Man, was born Macfarlane Gregory Anthony Mackey on Cat Island, Bahamas on February 18, 1942. His friends knew him as Tony or Obeah Man. He grew up on Canaan Lane off Shirley Street, Nassau, Bahamas. His work is an potpourri of reggae, African, heavy Bahamian folk dirges, swinging calypso, pounding junkanoo ruckus, & the groaning incantations of Obeah Man voudoun.

After growing up on Cat Island, Tony moved to New York City at age 17 to study architecture. However, he did not complete his studies. He became interested in writing, singing, & playing music. He formed a group called Tony McKay & the Islanders. In New York's 1960s Greenwich Village folk scene Tony found himself performing with such greats as Bob Dylan, Richie Havens, & even a young Jimi Hendrix.

Along with his partner & lifelong friend, Sally O'Brien, & several musician friends, Tony launched Exuma, a multi-faceted group that toured & recorded albums starting with Exuma I (The Obeah Man) in 1970 & ending with Rude Boy in 1986. This backing band was known only as the Junk Band & included Sally O'Brien, Lord Wellington, Mildred Vaney, Frankie Gearing, & Spy Boy Thielheim among others.

On Exuma I, the performers are: Tony ‘Exuma’ McKay – lead vocals, guitar, bells (ankle, junk, & elephant), & Sacred foot drum; Frankie Gearing, Geraldine McBride, Mildred Vaney, Princess Diana, & Sally O’Brien - backing vocals; Spy Boy Thielheim - backing vocals, triangle, cabassa, whistle, & bells; Daddy Ya Ya – backing vocals, bells, foot drum, & Sacred sand; & Lord Wellington – congas.

Exuma - Exuma I, Mercury SR 61265, 1970.

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Side 1 –

Exuma, the Obeah Man
Dambala
Mama Loi, Papa Loi

Side 2 –
Junkanoo
Seance in the Sixth Fret
You Don't Know What's Going On

The Vision

The group soon caught the attention of Blues Magoos manager Bob Wyld. Wyld brought Exuma to Mercury Records where he convinced them to sign Tony & Company. In 1970 Exuma released the albums Exuma I & Exuma II. From those albums he released the singles "Exuma, The Obeah Man", "Junkanoo", "Damn Fool", & "Zandoo". Exuma also garnered recognition for their song "You Don't Know What's Going On", which was featured on the soundtrack to John G. Avilsen's 1970 film Joe starring Peter Boyle, Susan Sarandon, & Dennis Patrick.

On Exuma II, the performers are: Tony ‘Exuma’ McKay – lead vocals, guitar, ankle bell, & Sacred foot drum; Daddy Ya Ya – backing vocals, bass, attar & elephant bells, & marching drums; Yogi - backing vocals & junk bells; Spy Boy Thielheim – high harmony congas, cabassa, & Sacred sand; Lord Cherry - congas & whistle; Lord Wellington – congas; & Princess Diana & Sally O'Brien – backing vocals & whistles. 

 

Exuma - Exuma II, Mercury SR 61314, 1970.

Side 1 –

Damn Fool
Baäl
Paul Simon Nontooth
Fire in the Hole

Side 2 –

 A Place Called Earth
We Got to Go
African Rhythm
Zandoo

Exuma left Mercury in 1971 to sign with the Kama Sutra label, where they released the albums Do Wah Nanny, Snake, Reincarnation, & Life. From these albums they released the singles "Do Wah Nanny", "The Bowery", "Brown Girl", "Rushing Through the Crowd", & a cover of Paul McCartney's "Monkberry Moon Delight".

On Do Wah Nanny, the performers are: Exuma, the Obeah Man – lead & backing vocals, guitar, ankle bells & Sacred foot drums; Yogi – backing vocals & junk bells; Spy Boy Thielheim - congas & cabassa; Daddy Ya Ya - backing vocals & marching drums; Lord Cherry & Lord Wellington – congas, percussion, & junk bells; Cordell Thompson & H. W. Mannings – cow bells; & Diana Claudia Bunea & Sally O'Brien – backing vocals & whistles; with Bruce Samuels – bass; Alfred ‘Peewee’ Ellis – saxophone; & John Gatchell – trumpet (on “Do Wah Nanny”).

 

Exuma – Do Wah Nanny, Kama Sutra KSBS 2040, 1971.

Side 1 –

Do Wah Nanny

Silver City

Eybrows & Beard

She Looks so Fine

Side 2 –

Roweena

The Bowery

22nd Century

Do Wah Nanny (part 2)

On Snake, Exuma are: Exuma, the Obeah Man - lead & backing vocals, guitar, cowbells, calling bells & triangle; John Russo - bass, violin, & lead guitar (“Don’t Let Go”); George J. ‘Duke’ Clemmons - upright bass;  Stanley Wiley (except “Don’t Let Go” & Happiness & Sunshine” – Dave Libert) – piano; Michael B. Olatunji – talking drum, African congas & shaker; Akinjorin ‘Juice’ Omolade – lead saxophone & African drums; Michael O’Neil - backing vocals, congas, & saxophone; Carl Jennings & Jerry Congales – trumpet; Chuchlow Eliebank – steel drums; Jeffory Miller – set drums; Michael Laneve – timbales; & Yogi Achmed Ben Mansel, Barbara ‘Omolaye’ Simon, Sally O'Brien, & Tonice Gwathney – backing vocals. 

 

Exuma – Snake, Kama Sutra KSBS 2052, 1972.

Side 1 –

Obeah, Obeah, O

Snake

Don’t Let Go

Attica, Part 1

Side 2 –

Thirteenth Sunday

Subway Bound for Hell

Happiness & Sunshine

Summertime in New York

Andros is Atlantic Rising

Exuma’s Reincarnation

On Reincarnation, the musicians are: Exuma, the Obeah Man – lead & backing vocals, guitar, cowbell, whistle, goat skin drums, ankle bells, Sacred sand, & throat harp; Baron Samedi - backing vocals, cowbells, bass throat harp, & shadow ring; Yogi Achmed Ben Mansel - backing vocals, cowbell, percussion, sand box, & walking road; Kenny Aaronson – bass; Al Hicks – backing vocals & drums; with Richie Wise – guitar (“Monkberry Moon Delight”); Fernando Gumbs - bass (“Pay Me What You Owe Me” & “Walking Home”); Paul Carpenter - piano (“Monkberry Moon Delight” & Pay Me What You Owe Me”); & Kester Smith - drums (“ Brown Girl”, “Monkberry Moon Delight”, &  “Exuma’s Reincarnation”). 

 

Exuma – Reincarnation, Kama Sutra KSBS 2062, 1972.

Side One –

Brown Girl

Monkberry Moon Delight (Paul McCartney)

Metastophaliese

Obeah Man Come Back

Baby, Let Me In

Pay Me What You Owe Me

Side Two –

Empty Barrels

Walking Home

Rushing Through the Crowd

Ballad for Sammy

Exuma’s Reincarnation

On Life, the players are: Exuma, the Obeah Man - lead & backing vocals, guitar, goat skin drums, bugle, trumpet, whistle, & cowbell; Yogi Achmed Ben Mansel – backing vocals, cowbell, maracas, & whistle; Kenny Aaronson – bass; Kester Smith – drums; Patti Brown – piano & celeste; Michael O’Neill -  backing vocals, congas, saxophone, & claves; Kurt Nurse – steel drums & timbales; with Priscilla Rollins – backing vocals (“If it Feels Good, Do It”); George J. ‘Duke’ Clemons – upright bass (“You Can’t Always get What You Want”); Steve Love – guitar & sitar (“If it Feels Good, Do It” & “Paint it Black”); Kenny Bichel - piano (“If it Feels Good, Do It” & “Paint it Black”); Jeff Smith - saxophone (“Viva El Matador”); Tyrone Demmons - trumpet (“Viva El Matador”); Richie Wise - tambourine (“If it Feels Good, Do It”); & Bryan Maday - drums (“If it Feels Good, Do It” & “Paint it Black”). 

 

Exuma – Life, Kama Sutra KSBS 2074, 1973.

Side One –

If it Feels Good, Do It

Paint it Black (The Rolling Stone)

Love is Strange

The Jumping Dance

Iko Iko (James ‘Sugar Boy’ Crawford – original title “Jock-a-Mo”)

You Can’t Always get What You Want (The Rolling Stone)

Side Two –

Night Time People

Hayride

Oh! Lovey

Sodom & Gomorrah

Kenyatta Alisha

Viva El Matador

Drawing on the traditional Bahamian folk songs, the infectious beat of Junkanoo, ring play, myths & linguistic idiom, Exuma the Obeah Man through his musical recordings, performances & paintings promoted Bahamian heritage & presented Bahamian music to the world more so than any other contemporary Bahamian recording artist.

On Rude Boy, Exuma are: Exuma, the Obeah Man – lead & backing vocals, congas, cowbell, drums, acoustic guitar, & keyboards; Charles Brady – guitar; Bruce MacDonald – backing vocals & guitar; Charles Handcock – lead & backing vocals, bass, cowbell, rhythm guitar, & handclapping; Lisa Mednick – backing vocals & keyboards; Bilal Sunni Ali – flute & saxophone; Hack Bartholomew – trumpet; Steve Amedee – backing vocals & drums; David Farrell – drums, shaker, tom-tom, & triangle; Miguel Banegas & Rafael Cruz – congas, cowbells, & timbales; & Sarone Run Raa – cowbell.

 

Exuma – Rude Boy (Producer’s Cut 1993 re-issue), Exuma CD777, 1993.

(originally on ROIR 1986)

Tracklist –

Rude Boy

Clean on the Outside,  Dirty on the Inside

They Coming ‘Junkanoo’

Shirlene

Dready

Fishing on the Rock

Saint James Road Slim

Soca ‘Bite Me on My Belly’

Dream

Bam Bam

In the late 80s, Tony suffered a mild heart attack, after that devoting much of his time to painting, his other great talent. His paintings have been featured on many of his album covers, exhibited many times & are collected by art lovers & friends. Tony never really abandoned his music however. He still wrote & performed his original music, continuing to perform at the New Orleans Jazz Festival until 1991.

Self Portrait with Songs

 

On January 25, 1997 he died peacefully in his sleep. At the time he had been shopping around for a label to release a new album. Tony left behind several children, including Gavin, Kenyatta (“Kenyatta Alisha” from Life), Acklins, & Jahleena. His first son, Shaw & Shaw’s mother ‘Sammy’ (“Ballad for Sammy” from Reincarnation) were murdered in the early 1970s in New York's Lower East Side. Both Acklins & Kenyatta Alisha are gifted vocal artists carrying on the musical tradition of their talented father.

Enjoy,

NØ

High Priests of Electronic Dub

Various – High Priests of Electronic Dub, Hypnotic CLP 9757-2, 1996.
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Tracklist –

Nature™ - In a Gentle Mood

The Future Sound of London – Papua New Guinea (Dub mix)

Controlled Bleeding – Trang & I

Burning Retina – Master X

Synaesthesia – Outland

Divination – Agrippa

Giez – No Voice

Psychic TV – Wrongs of Spring (remix)

Coercion – The True Will

Download – Attalal (remix)

Test Dept – Critical Dub

Honoring a request by a commenter here:
Various - In To The Mix disc 1
Various - In To The Mix disc 2

Enjoy,

NØ

More Mori

 

Probably said enough about Ikue Mori here before this.

Born & raised in Japan. Went to New York City in 77 initially for a visit but fell into the music scene. Remained in New York ever since.

Drummer for seminal No Wave band DNA with Arto Lindsay & Robin Crutchfield. After DNA became active in the New York experimental music scene. Formed Death Ambient (earlier post). Beyond solo recordings, has recorded or performed with Marc Ribot, Dave Douglas, Butch Morris, Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, & many others. Member of Hemophiliac with John Zorn & singer Mike Patton, also Zorn's Electric Masada. With Zeena Parkins, records & tours as duo project Phantom Orchard. Often records on Tzadik as well as designing covers for many of their albums.
  
On Painted Desert, the artists are: Ikue Mori – drum programming, Robert Quine & Marc Ribot – guitars. Recorded at Sear Sound NYC Februart 14-16, 1994.

 

Ikue Mori, Robert Quine, & Marc Ribot - Painted Desert, Avant Records Avan 030, 1995.

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Tracklist –

Mojave

Medicine Man

Desperado

Cheyenne

El Dorado

Santa Ana Excursion

Gundown

Painted Desert

Enjoy,

NØ

Free Diving with the Second Apneists

Apnea is a term for suspension of external breathing. Apnea can be voluntarily achieved, drug-induced through opiate or tryptamine use, mechanically induced by strangulation or choking, or it can occur as a consequence of neurological disease or trauma. When a person is immersed in water, physiological changes due to the mammalian diving reflex enable somewhat longer tolerance of apnea even in untrained persons. Tolerance can in addition be trained. The ancient technique of free-diving requires lengthened breath-holding, & world-class free-divers can hold their breath underwater up to depths of 214 meters for more than four minutes.

Segunda Apnea is the name of the group from Barcelona, Spain born in 2006 from the ashes of Apnea. Marc (Desmond) - vocals, Yves - bass & Llobet – drums from the original Apnea teamed up with Edgar Beltri & Álvaro - guitar & Natalia Escaño  – keyboards to create the Second Apnea. As its name suggests, the project is a second attempt to complete their free-dive. Apnea went down for the first dive, had to come up for another breath of air to form this new band.

They recorded a three song demo in 2007 & then this self-titled CD in 2008 on the Arindelle Records label. The new team of six divers with enough experience in various seas & styles have managed to compose these breathless tracks. This is an album of beautifully independent ambient post-rock tinged compositions. Diving below the surface without scuba tanks, drifting off on the wonders of these mostly instrumental tunes reveals a personal immersion into an ocean of sound.

Find a dark & solitary space to escape from the outside world & immerse your self. Songs like “La Atlántida” &  “Sombras Marinas” showcase the great craftwork behind this band, uncovering new worlds that lie beyond the last known sea.

 

Segunda Apnea – Segunda Apnea, Arindelle Records AR14, 2008.
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Tracklist –

La Atlántida (Atlantis)

Miran Al Cielo (Looking to the Sky)

El Viejo Faro (The Old Lighthouse)

La Laguna Principal (The Laguna Home)

Sombras Marinas (Marina Shadows)

Dunas Negras (Black Dunes)

Enjoy,

NØ