The Wednesday Classic #2

After a forgettable false start peddling iffy acid jazz, Mo’ Wax made a stylistic shift in 1994, kickstarting a four-year period that continues to resonate two decades on. The first Headz compilation is a neat 18-track digest of that transition, a declaration of what was to come. Influences, ambitions and comments on the status quo of the time are found in the slowed down grooves and samples as well as the track titles: ‘Ravers Suck Our Sound’, ‘Contemplating Jazz’, ‘In Flux’, ‘The Time Has Come’. The titular beatheads may have seemed like a stoned, uncreative bunch at the time but their aesthetic has proven resilient. Alongside obvious names like DJ Shadow, La Funk Mob and R.P.M, Headz also featured Nightmares On Wax, Autechre, Howie B. and various members of Major Force

factmag

 

Headz - A Soundtrack Of Experimental Beathead Jams

 Disc 1

1. Freedom Now Meditation • Patterson
2. Contemplating Jazz • Attica Blues
3. Symmetrical Jazz Flapper Till 5AM mix • Awunsound
4. Stars • Nightmares on Wax
5. Ravers Suck Our Sound • La Funk Mob
6. Miles Out of Time Astrocentric Mix 'n' Beats • M.F. Outa 'National
7. The Inside • RPM
8. Lowride • Autechre
9. Wildstyle (The Krush Handshake) • Olde Scottish

Disc 2

1. Lost and Found S.F.L. • DJ Shadow
2. Destroy All Monsters  • Skull
3. .....Don't Fake It • Deflon Sallahr
4. 2000 • RPM    
5. Slipper Suite  (i) Jeremy's Velvet Slippers
(ii) Moonraker (iii) Unspeakable Acts
Palm Skin Productions
6. The Time Has Come • Unkle and The Major Force Orchestra    
7. Head West – Gun Fight at the O.K. Corrall • Howie B. Inc.
8. They Came in Peace  • Tranquility Bass
9. In-Flux • DJ Shadow

 

	British "trip hop" label owned and run by James Lavelle. Launched in 1992, defunct in 2002

Label: Mo Wax – MWCD026
Series: Headz
Format: FLAC
Country: UK
Released: Oct 31, 1994
Genre: Hip Hop
Style: Downtempo, Trip Hop 

Segun Lee-French

 

 

I wasn't aware that Segun was also a poet, playwright & film-maker. I'm not sure if he was doing any or all of those things back in 1995 when I first heard him as guest vocalist on Earthlings "Nothing" all I knew is that he had an original distinct voice. Back then the thought of searching the internet to find out an artists repertoire just wasn't an option or even thought. So twenty or more years later when you play a record (yes vinyl) and it occurs to you to look to see what else has this artist had been up to through sites like this diccogs to check their back catalogue.

Nothing • Earthling

A1. Nothing
B1. Nothingness

Produced by Earthling Productions

 

Label: Cooltempo – SPCD 1845, Chrysalis – SPCD 1845
Format: 320
Country: France
Released: 1995
Genre: Electronic
Style: Trip Hop

 

•

 

Sweet Surrender • Segun

 

 

 

 

A1. Sweet Surrender (Earthling Productions)
A2. Sweet Surrender (Colin Thorpe Mix)
B1. Sweet Surrender (Thursday Club Dub)
B2. Sweet Surrender (Thursday Club Lyrical)

Produced by Earthling Productions

 

 

 

Label: Sliced ‎– SLi01T
Format: 320
Country: UK
Released: 1996
Genre: Electronic
Style: Breakbeat, Downtempo

 

 •

 

Ghost Town • Segun Lee-French 

 

 

My new single: Ghost Town

What I’m about to do is one of the scariest things I’ve ever done in my artistic life. For the first time in 25 years, I’m going to release some music.

The journey to get here has been long and full of self doubt. I stopped making music because I got disillusioned with spending more time trying to anticipate what the industry wanted to hear than making the music I wanted to hear.

11 years ago, I started daily singing practice, not to release music or perform, but just because I love singing and I wanted to realise my full potential as a singer. I wanted to be surprised by my voice every time I sang.

I had to rebuild my voice from the basics – breathing and vocal production. I discovered that practicing is more satisfying than performing in public. Practicing is performing to an audience of two – myself and God – and I’ve been blessed with moments when I felt complete unity between my mind, body and the universe. Though not with my neighbours.

In 2016, out of the blue, my friend, writer/broadcaster Kevin Le Gendre told me out that he had written 10 songs for me to sing. We did a gig for ResonanceFM at Iklectik Art Lab with a band including Kevin on bass, Art Terry on keys and a drummer called JT.

I started attending the Freedom jam sessions run by Cleveland Watkiss and Orphy Robinson at The Vortex in Hackney, and felt the joy of improvising with musicians in front of an audience that listens.

4 years later, I’m releasing Ghost Town, a cover of my favourite song, written by Jerry Dammers for The Specials in 1981, the infamous year of riots.

The theme of the song is timely with the Covid pandemic, but I actually started work on the track with Kevin on bass in 2018. I’ve been procrastinating about releasing it for almost a year after Colin Thorpe did the final mix.

Ghost Town will be released on 30 April through Distrokid on more platforms than I ever knew existed. If you like what you hear, please do pre-save to your playlists. If you really want to make me feel loved, you can do that old fashioned thing and buy the track on pre-release.

Pre-save now (if you like)

Pre-order (if you love)

Tings & Times – Music & Words

 

 

Segun Lee-French · GhostTown - Full Edit

 

 

 

•

Freezone 5 • The Radio Is Teaching My Goldfish Ju-jitsu

For this fifth volume, DJ Morpheus has selected - among others - several brilliant, totally or practically unknown new acts. Some of these had never released anything at all so far - such as STAR (from Sweden) and SUBA (from Brazil), whose tracks respectively open the first and the second CD - while some others - RECLOOSE (USA), BUSCEMI (Belgium) and PHOSPHORUS (UK/Italy) - have only had one or two singles out.

There's also tracks by three exponents of the freshest new wave of US hip hop: JIGMASTAS (DJ Spinna's group), SHAWN J. PERIOD (known for his production work with Mos Def) and newcomers GEO-LOGY.

In the "already-established" category, you'll find contributions by the likes of IAN O'BRIEN, FUNK D'VOID, B.LOW (Pulsinger/Tunakan), SPACETIME CONTINUUM, and Detroit's SHAKE and EDDIE "FLASHIN" FOWLKES.

The last group of participants comprises some of the hottest new producers which have recently come to prominence in the fields of house/hip hop/breakbeat/d'n'b/techno: the UK's DJ Q, KLUTE (vs Hy-Ryze), DANIEL IBBOTSON and RAE & CHRISTIAN, the USA's KEVIN YOST, JOE CLAUSSELL and THE TENANTS (Jamie Hodge), and France's DOCTOR L.

Just like on the previous two volumes, each of the 22 tracks on Freezone 5 is absolutely exclusive, which makes the end-result both very precious and interesting. It's a fascinating process: imagine 22 artists, working simultaneously in their respective studios (in 8 different countries), and delivering to you this kaleidoscope of musical pieces, with its variations and differences, but also with surprising convergences and coincidences... (you'll notice for example a definite, deep jazzy undercurrent running through a majority of the tracks on FZ5)...
crammed

Disc 1
1. Star • B.B. Smooth
2. Spacetime Continuum • Snakes & Ladders
3. Buscemi • Charles In Full Action
4. Daniel Ibbotson • Blue, Brown & Black
5. Doctor L • Timestretched To The Vibration
6. Jigmastas • Matrimony
7. Funk D'Void • Computer Date
8. Shawn J Period • Seek Jesus For Peace (Ignore The Distorsion)
9. Phosphorus • Saturated
10. The Tenants • Crawlin'
11. Klute vs. Hi-Ryze • Lift
12. Shake • You

Disc 2
1. Suba • Abraço
2. Recloose • Landscaping
3. DJ Q • Rippling
4. YBU vs. Rae & Christian • Soul Magic 98
5. Eddie "Flashin" Fowlkes • Black Soul
6. GE-OLOGY • Inebriated (Feel Good Journey)
7. Joe Claussell • Guitara Con Amol
8. Kevin Yost • Truth Or Dare
9. B.Low • How Should I Explain?
10. Ian O'Brien • Mina's Blues

Label: SSR Records -  SSR 207
Series: Freezone -  5
Format: 320
Country: Belgium
Released: 1998
Genre: Electronic
Style: Trip Hop, Downtempo, Techno

Hip Hop, Electro, Drum n Bass

Freezone 4 • Dangerous Lullabies

22 exclusives by Basement Jaxx, Carl Craig, Crewmunity (Plaid), Dimitri From Paris, Funki Porcini, Herbert vs Charles Webster, Morphine vs Snooze & Morpheus, Stasis, Flytronix, Rhythm & Sound (Basic Channel), Tosca (Huber+Dorfmeister), Kruder...
Crammed

Disc 1

1. Basement Jaxx • Space Pin
2. Thievery Corporation • One
3. Flytronix • Offset Acoustics
4. Rhythm & Sound • Never Tell You (Version Edit)
5. Four Ears • Columbus (Avenue Of The Americas)
6. Tosca • The Key
7. Dimitri From Paris • Lust In Space
8. Funki Porcini • Trip To Nowhere
9. Endemic Void • Enlightenment
10. Morphine • Supersex (Snooze & Morpheus Remix)
11. Stasis • Once Around The Moon

Disc 2
1. Only Child • Blowin' It
2. Morgan Geist • I Want To...
3. Jordan Fields • Night Of The Living Blenders
4. Carl Craig • It Could Be G
5. Jimpster • Through The Surface
6. Treva Whateva • Tum And Waist
7. Herbert vs Love From San Francisco • Young At Heart
8. Crewmunity • Boneskin
9. Stade • Starting Block
10. Juryman vs Spacer • R.S.I.
11. Peace Orchestra • 10
12. No Artist • Zoned (The Freezone Multimedia Track)


Label: SSR Records - SSR 187
Series: Freezone - 4
Format: 320
Country: Belgium
Released: 1997
Genre: Electronic
Style: House, Dub, Downtempo, Trip Hop, Drum n Bass

Freezone 3 • Horizontal Dancing

Many illustrious guests honor the 3rd volume of this landmark chill series: PFM, Carl Craig, Coldcut, Wagon Christ vs. µ-ziq, Claude Young, Glenn Underground, Dr Rockit, Fila Brazillia, Io (Pulsinger), Kruder + Dorfmeister, Mixmaster Morris, Snooze vs. DJ Cam, Howie B, Josh Wink, Herbert, Phume, Nu Era... and, guess what, it consists almost entirely of exclusive, especially recorded tracks !

Compiled by DJ Morpheus

Disc 1
1. Phume • So Many Times
2. Fila Brazillia • Bulls Dozing
3. Los Jugaderos • Your Mind
4. JMJ + Richie • Universal Horn Remix 96
5. iO • Theme For A Man Who Wants To Take Over The World
6. Snooze Vs DJ Cam • Dub Angel
7. Claude Young • Multiplicity Of Zeros And Ones
8. Blak Crowê • Gabrielle's Horns
9. Mixmaster Morris Vs Jonah Sharpe • Camberwell Green
10. Nu Era • Solar Winds
11. Herbert • Freeze

Disc 2
 1. 2 Player • Arizona
 2. Future 3 • Fumble Free
 3. Kid Loops • Alien Resident (Tha Huh, Huh, Mellow Mix)
 4. The Illuminati Of Hedfuk     Miasma (Coldcut Mix)
 5. Kruder & Dorfmeister • Out Of The Blue
 6. Howie B • Five Days
 7. Glenn Underground • Tribe Of Benjamin
 8. PFM • The Rough With The Smooth
 9. Josh Wink • Emissions
 10. Envoy • Hopeless Romantic
 11. Smooth Helmet • Smooth Helmet (Plug Mix)
 12. Parametric • ES-30 

Label: SSR Records - SSR 167
Series: Freezone - 3
Format: 2 x 320
Country: Belgium
Released: 1996
Genre: Electronic
Style: Downtempo, Trip Hop, Deep House,

Drum n Bass, Techno